Student Activity Accounts Review

At a glance

What: Article 23, a citizen petition by Eric Richards asking for up to $75,000 for a review of the school student activity (fiduciary) accounts.
Where it stands: debated at length at the pre-Town Meeting; vote Oct 27. The Finance Committee and Select Board positions were not stated.
Status of claims: school and town officials said no money is missing and the variances were reconciliation issues; Richards said he alleges no wrongdoing and wants a clear record. Neither side's claims are findings.
Related: Town Finance Oversight

Begins with a teacher's public records request (Nov 2025) about a special-education club account that fell from about $20,000 to about $6,000 (petitioner's account; the business manager said that account held only about $4,000 to $5,000).
Cites auditor letters: a $133,575 variance noted in 2018, 52 variance findings in a 2025 letter, and a gap in documentation from 2012 to 2018, which he says were never resolved.
Says an agreed-upon-procedures review is narrower than an audit.

Jennifer Stannic said total student activity funds were about $123,000 as of Sept 16, balances were reconciled manually back seven years, and advisors agreed their records without coercion.
R.J. Scaza and Stannic said processes were changed (Excel instead of Google Sheets, policy aligned to state guidance, training).
Karen Harnois said the auditor attributed most of the variance to a missed 2015 transfer of about $134,000 and no funds are missing.
Town Meeting members asked what the difference from the yearly review would be and whether results are guaranteed; one said he would not support it.

The petition includes a second phase of review by the Select Board and Finance Committee that has no separate specification.

Finance Committee Meeting - October 27, 2026 - Posted agenda (read 2026-10-23): the Finance Committee votes on Article 23 before the Special Town Meeting. No transcript yet.
2026-10-19 - Pre-Town Meeting - Article 23 presented by Richards; school business manager, superintendent and CFO responded.
2026-10-21 - Page created.
2026-09-28 - 2026-09-28 - Select Board: Petitioner Eric Richards presented the article and supporting documentation, and members confirmed the complete warrant article had been provided. Chambers moved deferral, seconded by Kirrane, and it passed 3-1 with Rufli opposed; Kirrane's motion to reconsider, seconded by Rufli, failed 2-2, leaving the deferral in place.
2026-09-23 - 2026-09-23 - Finance Committee: Finance Committee deferred Article 23 ($75,000 audit petition) to its pre-Town Meeting session.
2026-09-16 - School Committee - Committee added a Class of 2030 account, approved the updated accounts manual and set checking account maximums of $15,000 (high school) and $12,000 (middle school).