After months of debate and voting, East Hampton has a school budget. Voters approved the budget in a second referendum after money was restored saving teacher positions in the district.
“We felt like our voices were actually heard and we made like a movement,” Noelle Lavender, a recent graduate of East Hampton High School, said.
A movement that helped several teachers in East Hampton to keep their jobs.
“You know that teacher has a special place in someone’s heart so you’re going to fight for them no matter what," Lavender said.
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Lavender was part of a group of students protesting the original $800,000 cut from the school budget. The effort led to the town rejecting the original budget in May.
“It became a really good way to one, get involved in the community and two, really have a say,” she said.
A total of $250,000 was added back to the spending plan, enough to keep all the current teachers in place. This revised budget was passed with 1,043 voters saying yes and 678 voting no.
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East Hampton Schools Superintendent Paul Smith thanking the voters for their input. He says the student’s passion is a tribute to the impact of his district’s teachers.
“It just shows how important teachers are not just for the academic content that they make sure students gain, but for the duty of care that they provide,” Smith said.
Lavender said she voted yes because the first priority of no teacher layoffs was met. But some voters still voted no, wanting to see a bigger school budget.
“The reason I came to East Hampton was because of the school system. 100% exclusively,” Jude Barry, an East Hampton resident, said.
Lavender said she’s confident underclassmen at the high school will continue to speak up after being inspired by her group’s activism.
“The students who are younger will take that with them into their senior year and into their lives,” Lavender said.
The town budget, which was voted on separately, was also approved with 945 voting yes and 777 voting no.
