Southampton Budget Passes Overwhelmingly; Brindle, Wilson Earn School Board Seats

Southampton School District voters, by an overwhelming margin, approved a $59.5 million budget on Tuesday, 566-260, and elected two new School Board members.

In a close race for two undefended School Board seats, was the top vote-getter with 370, and was close behind with 366. had 348 votes, and write-in candidate garnered 140 votes.

Brindle won a five-year term, replacing David Dubin, who declined to seek re-election. Wilson won a four-year term and was sworn in immediately after the School Board certified the results, filling a vacancy left when stepped down from the board to take a job with the district.

In addition to the budget, all other ballot propositions passed, including funding for replacing aging school buses.

With 68.5 percent of voters in favor, it must be the highest passage rate the district budget has had in many years, Superintendent J. Richard Boyes, Ed.D., said.

The budget includes a 1.74 percent spending increase and 2.48 percent rise in the tax levy, which adheres to New York State's new tax cap mandate.

Boyes said the district has been trimming the fat while preserving programs for the past few years, keeping budget increases down. “I don’t know how long we can continue that, but it’s a very cost efficient budget.”

He noted that this budget reduces the district’s employee headcount by eight and a half. The budget eliminates a dean of students, two teachers, a therapist, a counselor, three bus matrons and a part-time custodian, and replaces a teacher, teacher assistant and therapist at a lower cost.

Also helping rein in spending, he said, is that contractual pay increases have been modest in recent years, while employees are contributing more toward their medical insurance.

“Next year is going to be a big challenge,” Boyes admitted.

For the Sag Harbor School District voting results, . For Bridgehampton and Sagaponack, . For details on the Tuckahoe budget going down, .2

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misidentified the outgoing School Board president. David Dubin is the board president.