Fall River School Committee presses city over $6 million net‑school‑spending discrepancy; superintendent to submit numbers to DOR

At the Feb. 11 meeting, several school committee members raised concerns about the city’s accounting of reimbursements and prescription rebates and argued the district had been under‑credited for net school spending over recent years.

Committee Vice Chair Colin Dias and others alleged the city’s chief financial officer removed large reimbursement amounts from prior calculations, producing a difference the committee estimated at roughly $6 million since the mayor took office. "The CFO in the city took millions of dollars out of those numbers," one member said, pressing the administration for an explanation.

Chief Financial Officer (city) questions and district staff said the discrepancy depends on whether prescription rebates and the timeframe used are included. Finance staff acknowledged the new worksheet differs from the version discussed at a December meeting and said they will prepare a revised sheet for submission to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) for final determination.

Superintendent Dr. Tracy Curley said the district is assembling a packet showing the net calculations and that the DOR will be the ultimate arbiter of whether rebates count as reimbursements under state rules. Committee members asked to convene a joint discussion with city officials to clarify the accounting, and the superintendent said she would return with a corrected worksheet and supporting documents.

No final financial adjustment or vote occurred at the meeting; members emphasized the need for a definitive DOR ruling and near‑term follow-up.