Winchendon school board wants selectmen to try again to oust town manager
By Paula J. Owen TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WINCHENDON — The School Committee voted unanimously Thursday night to ask selectmen to again seek Town Manager James M. Kreidler Jr.'s resignation, and, if he again refuses to resign, to at least not renew his five-year contract, which is up June 30.
At their meeting Monday night, selectmen voted 3-2 for Mr. Kreidler's resignation. But as part of his contract, a fourth-fifths vote is needed to terminate his contract.
School Committee members also took a vote of no confidence in Mr. Kreidler. The actions come in light of a possible $3 million to $5 million budget deficit recently uncovered by auditors.
Additionally, the school board voted to have the district's lawyer look into the town's handling of the school district's revolving accounts and the health insurance trust, which school employees are 77 percent holders of. The board wants the lawyer to refer the matter to Attorney General Martha Coakley's office and the state auditor if deemed necessary. The town is self-insured and contributions are held in a trust. The audit found a $1.8 million deficit in the health insurance trust.
Though Mr. Kreidler has asked the School Department to help fill the deficit hole, Superintendent Salah E. Khelfaoui said the school only has $300,000 from a Proposition 2½ cap override above the state-mandated net school spending amount, and the override money by law must be used for the school budget. The School Department cannot legally go below net school spending, he said.
School Committee members also voted to check into the legality of the town reallocating money from the Murdock Trust — funded by the education foundation — to the general fund and spending it.
Earlier this year, the School Committee voted to use $200,000 from the Murdock Trust, which they say had a balance of more than $500,000, and a $200,000 grant from the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, to purchase iPads.
However, Mr. Khelfaoui said he recently received a call from Apple asking the School Department to pay the bill, but he was told the money wasn't there.
School Committee member Susan Burdsall said the town treasurer told her that some municipal accounting practices allow for money that is earmarked for schoolchildren in a trust to be used to pay the town's bills.
Contact Paula Owen at powen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter@PaulaOwenTG.
At their meeting Monday night, selectmen voted 3-2 for Mr. Kreidler's resignation. But as part of his contract, a fourth-fifths vote is needed to terminate his contract.
School Committee members also took a vote of no confidence in Mr. Kreidler. The actions come in light of a possible $3 million to $5 million budget deficit recently uncovered by auditors.
Additionally, the school board voted to have the district's lawyer look into the town's handling of the school district's revolving accounts and the health insurance trust, which school employees are 77 percent holders of. The board wants the lawyer to refer the matter to Attorney General Martha Coakley's office and the state auditor if deemed necessary. The town is self-insured and contributions are held in a trust. The audit found a $1.8 million deficit in the health insurance trust.
Though Mr. Kreidler has asked the School Department to help fill the deficit hole, Superintendent Salah E. Khelfaoui said the school only has $300,000 from a Proposition 2½ cap override above the state-mandated net school spending amount, and the override money by law must be used for the school budget. The School Department cannot legally go below net school spending, he said.
School Committee members also voted to check into the legality of the town reallocating money from the Murdock Trust — funded by the education foundation — to the general fund and spending it.
Earlier this year, the School Committee voted to use $200,000 from the Murdock Trust, which they say had a balance of more than $500,000, and a $200,000 grant from the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, to purchase iPads.
However, Mr. Khelfaoui said he recently received a call from Apple asking the School Department to pay the bill, but he was told the money wasn't there.
School Committee member Susan Burdsall said the town treasurer told her that some municipal accounting practices allow for money that is earmarked for schoolchildren in a trust to be used to pay the town's bills.
Contact Paula Owen at powen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter@PaulaOwenTG.
The school would be the department to take the biggest hit if the 250K mount was needed to be cut.
ReplyDeleteNo surprise they would like to see the man go when they are to be targeted to take the hit of 250k.
We thought Templeton was in the crapper!
why couldn't scrappy bail out the town they did him a favor years back!!!
ReplyDeleteCould that be when the money problems started? The amount is still unknown and locked away with the man that won't QUIT!
ReplyDeleteMaybe scrappy could find him a job.