Deficits raise concern

Deficits raise concern School accounts more than $500,000 in the red

Damien Fisher News Staff Writer WINCHENDON  Concern over still-unresolved deficits in the current fiscal year’s School Department budget has at least one selectman ready to take action against TMS, the private company contracted to manage the school district’s business office. “Can we not pay these people,” said Selectman Michael Barbaro. Barbaro and the rest of the Board of Selectmen heard a financial update from Town Manager Keith Hickey Monday night. While the town budget is trending in a positive direction, with the possibility of free cash at the end of the fiscal year, the school budget is showing red flags, according to Hickey. Hickey said the way the school budget is being managed by TMS is also troubling. “There are less-than-desirable conditions over there,” Hickey said. “They are not performing to their contract.” TMS took control of the school’s business office in 2014, when the district Business Manager Melissa Dunnet resigned suddenly. TMS was originally hired to assist Dunnet, but took over in a move approved by the School Committee. Barbaro was on the School Committee at the time of the change. Hickey reported on Monday night that there is more than $500,000 in deficits in the school budget, with another $40,000 deficit learned of on Monday. Hickey said that it is not clear how the deficits will be dealt with so close to the ends of the fiscal year. The district already transferred more than $360,000 in December to cover expenses. “There aren’t a lot of funds available left,” Hickey said. Hickey wants to sit down and meet with TMS ownership and School Department staff to deal with these deficits before time runs out on the budget year. The School Committee members grilled TMS representative Mark Chapulis earlier this month about the lingering deficits in the budget. At the time, Chapulis said that revenue is still coming into the district, and he expects to have all of the deficits balanced out.