History
Early years
In February 1784, East Hampton Town Trustees authorized the building of a schoolhouse in the "North Side" of the town.[2] It thought to have been located on the land of Elisha Miller, and was auctioned off to them in 1807.[3]
The second schoolhouse, which also served as place of worship, opened in 1807 at the authorization of a 32-man committee.[3] It was either constructed at or moved to the Village Green at the corner of Fireplace Road and Old Stone Highway.[2] The building was sold at an auction for $75 to Daniel King, who moved it to his home in Kingstown.[3]
The school district was formally founded in 1813 as School District No. 4 of the town of East Hampton.[3] The district also operated a school on Gardiners Island in 1884.[3]
The third schoolhouse, which was the first public school in the district, was built on the site of its predecessor in 1847 at a cost of $418.[2][3] It was known as the "Little Red Schoolhouse."[2] In 1884, the school was expanded or rebuilt on the current site a cost of about $1,600.[3] It was sold to the Springs Historical Society in 1909 for $1 and is now part of Ashawagh Hall.[12][3] "Ashawagh" is the Montaukett word for "meeting place."[3]
The fifth schoolhouse was the first school on the current School Street site. It was a wooden two-story building with four classrooms and was described as "one of the prettiest school buildings of its size in the county."[2][3] The building burned to the ground in 1929, possibly due to an overheated chimney.[9][3]
The current building is the sixth schoolhouse of the district.[3] It opened in 1931 and was expanded in 1960 to accommodate junior high students.[9] Previously, students were educated at East Hampton Middle School for grades 6 and up.[9] Later additions to the building were completed in 1966 and 1974.[3]
Recent history
In March 2018, voters approved a $23-million expansion project.[13][14] Phase 1 installed a nitrogen-reducing septic system and Phase 2 added seven classrooms, a regulation-size gymnasium and athletic fields, as well as upgraded existing facilities in the school building.[15] The project allowed for kindergarten and first grade classrooms, formerly in separate buildings on the campus, to consolidate under one roof.[13] Prior to construction, the school was educating 743 students in a facility built for 400 students.[13] Construction began in July 2019 and wrapped up in September 2021.[14][16] Various errors in the construction project, which the district blamed on the architectural firm, cost at least $30,000 on top of the original project's budget.[17]
Eric Casale, the school's longtime principal of 15 years, was granted a leave of absence in August 2020.[18] Assistant Principal Christine Cleary became acting principal in his absence.[11] Casale resigned from his post in December of that year and received a $300,000 settlement from the district for unknown reasons.[18] In February 2021, Cleary's promotion was made permanent.[11]
The district's pre-kindergarten program moved to the Springs Youth Association building, located just behind the school facilities, for the 2020–2021 school year.[19] Previously, pre-K was contracted to the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center in East Hampton.[19]