School officials are still trying to find records that would explain why former Claremont Superintendent Chris Pratt was paid an extra $10,000 last year.
But Pratt’s $10,000 check may be the tip of the stipend iceberg, as recently released documents show Pratt and former business administrator Mary Henry oversaw $4 million in stipend payments in their last full school year alone.
As Comptroller Matthew Angell wades through the chaotic records left in the wake of the Claremont deficit crisis, he recently said he still cannot find the paperwork related to Pratt’s stipend.
“I have not found any formal documentation regarding Chris Pratt’s $10K stipend,” Angell wrote to resident Mark Lewko.
Lewko began digging into the stipends after local Claremont government watchdog Jim Sullivan obtained nonpublic meeting minutes from Nov. 13, in which the Claremont School Board first discussed “concerning” stipends paid to specific former employees.
Sullivan, who single-handedly operates Claremont’s only local news outlet, followed up this week with Unity School Board meeting minutes indicating Angell is in contact with police about possible fraud.
“Matt is speaking with law enforcement about the fraud that may affect both Claremont and Unity,” the minutes state.
Both Claremont and Unity are part of SAU 6, where Pratt and Henry were employed until the Claremont School Board was informed of a $5 million deficit that nearly shut down city schools before the start of the academic year.
Records of Pratt’s and Henry’s stipend spending during the 2024–25 school year are eye-opening. Stipends are typically used for expenses such as wages for after-school sports coaches or contractual payments to employees in lieu of certain benefits. But the list made available by Angell to Sullivan and Lewko includes many unexplained entries among the thousands of payments.
According to October notes from the Claremont Finance Subcommittee, the board did not approve some of the stipends now being questioned.
“Numerous non-board-approved stipends outside of collective bargaining agreements have been identified,” the notes state.
The stipends were discovered shortly before interim Superintendent Kerry Kennedy moved to terminate Henry from her position. Henry had been placed on paid leave in August when the financial crisis was first revealed. Kennedy placed her on unpaid leave in October after new information came to light. Kennedy has not provided details about that information.
Henry held out for several weeks before agreeing to resign at the end of October. Pratt resigned in November and left with a $40,000 severance. Henry departed with about $5,000 in payment for unused vacation days.
