Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Field Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Westerly school committee declines to commit additional fund balance for turf field after public accusations
Summary
A public commenter accused officials of mishandling fundraising for the recent turf field, and the committee debated committing $199,060 from the school fund balance to close a shortfall but the motion failed in a poll vote. The committee discussed fundraising, state reimbursement timing and whether the town council would release its promised funds.
A public commenter sharply criticized the district’s handling of the recently completed turf field and urged the Westerly School Committee not to use school fund balance to cover remaining costs, but the committee voted against committing extra funds at its Nov. 6 meeting.
Mister Caradeo told the committee he’d seen an October 30 email from the district’s finance director recommending the committee commit $199,060 of the 2023–24 fund balance to close what he called a $318,000 shortfall on the field project. Caradeo alleged fundraising fell far short of forecasts and accused some officials of “misappropriation of funds, fraud, negligence, outright lying to constituents,” and he warned the town council had previously violated its own resolution on the field payment.
Finance director Cindy Kerchoff urged the committee to commit $199,060 (including about $11,000 already committed for remaining design work) so that when the request goes to the town council, the district’s complete funding package would be visible and the council could release its promised $119,443. Kerchoff said state reimbursement choices and prior uses of reimbursement money affected the district’s cash position.
Committee members split. Member Ms. Cook said she would not vote to support “any more taxpayer money” for the project and said she would accept a default rather than approve more district funds. Several members, including Mr. Ober, defended the field’s benefits — citing lower maintenance costs, fewer injuries, and reduced need for watering and pesticides — and urged continued fundraising. Miss Spouty and others pushed back on accusations that the vendor (FieldTurf) or administrators acted improperly.
The committee called for a poll vote on a motion to authorize the $199,060 commitment. The roll/poll was read aloud; multiple members voted no and the chair announced the motion did not carry. The committee did not adopt the fund‑balance commitment at the meeting; members discussed asking the incoming committee or the town council to revisit the matter and suggested reviving fundraising efforts.
What happens next: The committee did not make a formal commitment of district fund balance at this meeting. Committee members discussed returning the matter to the next school committee or asking the new committee to revisit the request; the town council’s release of its $119,443 was not guaranteed, Kerchoff said.
Quotes that capture the meeting’s tone: “You may not use any fund balance to pay for what is owed to FieldTurf. You may not,” Mister Caradeo said during public comment, adding later that taxpayers had been “jerked around.” Kerchoff said the district had included the field as a potential reimbursement project to RIDE but that other projects were more clearly defined when reimbursements were sought.
Documentation and clarifications: Kerchoff stated FieldTurf had been paid in full and that the ask was to show the district’s commitment before town council action. Kerchoff also said approximately $28,800 in pledges remained outstanding; she described the $199,060 request as including $11,000 already earmarked for design. The transcript records both the public accusations and repeated denials by committee members and staff that improper transfers occurred.
The committee’s discussion and the failed motion were recorded in the meeting minutes; no new formal funding action was approved at the Nov. 6 meeting.
