Education

Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor: School budget, St. Gabe’s, W.C. Brigham

JULIE LANE PHOTO School District Business Manager Tim Laube explained Monday night how an original budget that would have pierced the tax levy cap by 12 percent was reduced during Board of Education workshops to a 5.9 percent increase.
JULIE LANE PHOTO School District Business Manager Tim Laube.

Cut administration costs
To the Editor:
I am a parent with two children at the Shelter Island School, and a big believer in public education. I am also a homeowner who pays property tax. As both a parent and a taxpayer, I want to see the best possible education provided to community children at the lowest possible price. With this in mind, I have some concerns with the proposed school budget that I would like to bring to the attention of your readers.

According to the proposed 2016-17 budget (approved by the Board of Education on April 20 and available for download from the school’s website), the total proposed budget for administrative spending is $191,734, an increase of 12.5 percent. The total administrative spending represents 15.8 percent of the entire budget, and a per pupil administrative cost of $891.79 (assuming a pupil population of 215).

At the same time that spending on administration is increasing, the total program spending (the money that goes into academic and extra-curricular programs for the children) is decreasing by 5.5 percent. Total program costs are shown as 70.7 percent of the total budget.

By comparison, the Greenport School District spends just 10.2 percent of its budget on administration, and 78.7 percent on program costs, according to information posted on the school’s website.

Greenport, like many other local school districts, has cut administrative costs by sharing its superintendent with the Southold School District. Oysterponds has a part-time principal, and a part-time superintendent to keep taxpayer costs low. The Block Island School (in Rhode Island, but similar to Shelter Island) also has a part-time principal.

The contingency budget the board has put in place in case the first iteration of the budget fails to pass, makes further cuts to program expenditures to lower costs, while preserving administrative spending.

My question is, why can’t we cut administrative costs at our school, as so many other schools have done successfully, and keep our educational program intact?
KYLE KAREN
Shelter Island

St. Gabe’s chapel
To the Editor:
To add to the story in the May 5 Reporter (“St. Gabe’s owner sets timetable for chapel’s fate”), Richard Hogan informed me at the Waterways Management Advisory Council meeting on May 2 that he has been in touch with Kathryn O’Hagan on a fairly regular basis. The donations pledged thus far are approximately $37,000 and counting.

Mr. Hogan also stated that he would be willing to be more patient concerning the future demolition of the chapel if the fundraising efforts approached $100,000 by mid-June. The town is encouraging the fundraising group to gather bids from moving companies that perform these kinds of tasks.

Mr. Hogan is trying to be cooperative but does acknowledge that there must be some type of timetable to relocate the chapel.

The Town of Shelter Island will not be utilizing any funds to accomplish this task. The town’s Grants Committee explored applying for a grant to help in this endeavor, but this is not likely to happen. Federal and/or state historic sites are eligible for grants, but the chapel never received this type of designation.
JIM COLLIGAN
Councilman, Town of Shelter Island

Setting it straight
To the Editor:
I recently discovered that at least six sources, on which I relied for my Reporter article about W.C. Brigham’s pulp magazine and comic book art (“Rediscovering and remembering a multi-talented Island artist,” July 16, 2015), attributed the art to the wrong W. C. Brigham. I apologize for unknowingly passing along incorrect information and wish to set the record straight.

The mistake made by the sources was understandable because Walter Cole Brigham was a well-known artist with many online references; the other W. C. Brigham was somewhat obscure with few online references. It took some effort to find the two pieces of evidence that eventually aroused my suspicions. One was a letter to the editor of the New York Times from “W.C. Brigham, Jr.,” in which the writer referred to himself as an artist.

The other evidence comprised images of registration cards I obtained from the Art Students League of New York from 1894-98 and 1915-18. The former were clearly for Walter Cole Brigham of Shelter Island and the latter were for “W.C. Brigham, Jr.” of Trenton, New Jersey who took illustration classes.

One of my sources, PulpArtists.com’s biographical webpage for Walter Cole Brigham, included a 1924 ad for Brigham’s commercial art studio at 286 Fifth Avenue. The ad featured the unmistakable signature Brigham used in the pulps and comics.

I looked for Brigham in the 1920s editions of “Phillip’s Business Directory of New York” on heritagequestonline.com and found listings under Art for “Wm. C. Brigham, Jr.” at 286 Fifth Avenue. There was no listing for Walter Cole Brigham. So William C. Brigham, Jr. was doubtlessly the illustrator of the pulps, comics and commercial art.

I also found a booklet of historic sites in Kearney, New Jersey illustrated by Wm. C. Brigham, Jr. and a calling card with his photograph. I presented my findings to the author of PulpArtists.com, who apologized for the error.  He has now corrected his website and I am in the process of notifying other sources.

Walter Cole Brigham did illustrate one magazine cover that I’ve found so far, “Outing Magazine,” June 1899. The fact that he did not do the pulp and comic art certainly does not dim the luster of his reputation, which is deservedly celebrated for his fine art paintings and marine mosaics.

In connection with my research, I would appreciate hearing from anyone with memories, memorabilia, letters or art relating to Walter Cole Brigham. Please write to me at [email protected].
BETH AUMAN
Boca Raton, Florida