Education

Oysterponds drops Mattituck contract talks, sets budget re-vote

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | The Oysterponds school board decided Tuesday to end its secondary school contract negotiations with the Mattituck school district.

The Oysterponds school board decided Tuesday to end its secondary school contract negotiations with Mattituck-Cutchogue schools in hopes of passing its spending plan next month.

Voters in the Oysterponds district rejected the school board’s proposed budget May 15. Many school board members believed the rejection occurred because the district sought to designate both Mattituck and Greenport for its secondary schools.

The board unanimously approved rescinding its designation of Mattituck during a special meeting Tuesday night at the elementary school in Orient.

The board’s secondary contract committee is expected to meet with members of the Greenport school board Wednesday morning. Oysterponds district residents currently send their 7th through 12th grade students to Greenport.

In addition, the school board approved putting up the same spending up for a re-vote on June 19.

The board had proposed a $5.35 million spending plan for the 2012-13 school year – with spending down 4.85 percent from the current school year — but it was still shot down by 57 percent of voters May 15. The district saw 253 residents in Orient and East Marion vote no to the 192 who voted yes.

Pick up Thursday’s paper to read more about this story.

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