School audits years behind; early FY23 audit shows overspending

What happened

The superintendent told the committee in January 2026 that a preliminary audit shows the school overspent its FY23 budget. His March 2026 report said the town is about three years behind on audits, that the facilities reserve was used up on the FY22-23 building project, and that the project ran over budget. A new auditor, RHR Smith, is being hired for FY24 and later years.

Why it matters to families

Audits check that public school money was spent the way voters approved. Without finished audits, the committee cannot confirm how big the deficit is or whether any savings are left for repairs, like the roof the school expects to replace in 3-5 years.

The evidence

The March 2, 2026 meeting packet's superintendent report says 'catching up on three years of audits' may deter auditors and that the facilities reserve 'was used for the last building project in FY22 and FY 23 and in fact that project came in over budget and was underfunded contributing to the over expenditure' in the preliminary FY23 audit. The approved January 5, 2026 minutes say the preliminary audit indicates the FY23 budget was overspent. The May 4 packet reports the switch to RHR Smith.

The source