Facing an angry crowd of concerned parents and taxpayers, Claremont officials acknowledged Monday night that the worst reports are true: the school district has dug itself a $5 million hole.
As parents asked pointed questions about whether there will be any school sports this year and what happens if the district is unable to remain open for a full semester, Comptroller Matthew Angell broke the bad news. The district knows it has around $5 million in unpaid, critical bills, a fact school board members claim they were unaware of until recently.
After cutting 19 teachers to save $1.8 million last week, the district cut another 20 positions, ranging from custodians, para-educators, and school secretaries, to save an additional $1 million. The district is also working on a plan to bring back some special education students placed out of district, for an additional savings of about $1 million.
But it won’t be enough, said Angell, who was hired to take command over Claremont’s books in the wake of the crisis. The massive hole left by mismanaging district finances is simply too deep to fill through cuts. And while there could be missing money baked into the district budget waiting to be found, Angell said, “I can’t tell you, from the accounting records, what it is.”
When a parent asked if their kids should plan on playing in sports competitions scheduled for this week, Jim O’Shaughnessy, Claremont School District’s attorney, warned that his answer would be blunt.
“If people don’t come forward with money, there are not going to be any fall sports, winter sports, or spring sports. This is dire. There’s not enough money.
“If people don’t move forward and do some fundraising and bring passion — and soon — there’s not going to be fall sports, there’s not going to be winter sports, there’s not going to be summer sports,” O’Shaughnessy added.
It was a tough message, which may explain why Claremont School Board Chair Heather Whitney was greeted with stony silence when she said, “I really believe we’re going to be stronger for this.”
Angell is sorting through years of financial records left to him by Business Administrator Mary Henry, who is currently on paid administrative leave. She was not the only missing district official, as Superintendent Chris Pratt was absent again. Pratt has been disinvited from board meetings since Whitney disclosed the district was looking at the newly discovered deficit.
While the board previously could not commit to schools opening on Thursday, Assistant Superintendent Michael Koski said there will be teachers in the classrooms ready for students this week. Class sizes will be larger, and some classes will double up on grade levels, he said. The district has to reshuffle classroom operations after losing para-educators and the 19 new teachers.
“It’s been a very unpleasant experience,” Koski said of the staff cuts. “No one has taken any joy in this process.”
The board brought in attorney James O’Shaughnessey to help guide officials when the money gap was discovered. O’Shaughnessey told residents Monday night he had positive meetings this week with Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Department of Education Commissioner Caitlin Davis, but Claremont is still on its own to fix the mess.
“No one is coming to save you,” O’Shaughnessey said. “I know that’s hard to hear, but it can’t be ignored.”
Ayotte has insisted the blame lies with local mismanagement and has ordered a series of independent financial audits of Claremont’s books.
“This is unacceptable,” Ayotte said. “Local mismanagement has happened, and we are working through the Department of Education to ensure the district addresses immediate cash flow issues to keep the schools open.”
After Ayotte ordered the state Department of Education to ensure the district completes independent financial audits, Education Commissioner Caitlin Davis released a statement.
“The governor believes it is necessary to complete independent financial audits for all fiscal years and has ordered the Department of Education to ensure these occur in a timely and ongoing manner.
“In the meantime, my team and I are engaging directly with Claremont schools to ensure the district addresses immediate cash flow issues to keep the schools open through the year, educate our students, and support our educators.”
Aside from the painful cuts, Angell said the district had a meeting this week with Claremont Savings Bank executives about a short-term loan to get the district through to March. More decisions will need to be made, like a possible consolidation plan for the district’s three elementary schools, Angell said.
So far, students have lost sports, teachers have lost their jobs, and city residents will likely see their taxes go up again because of reported financial incompetence by employees in the district’s administrative offices.
That’s the one school building in Claremont that has not seen any staff cuts since the crisis began.
EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this article misattributed comments made by James O’Shaughnessy, Claremont School District’s attorney. We regret the error.
