Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Committee hears operational-review kickoff with CLA and FY26 budget update
Loading...
Summary
The committee received an operational-review kickoff by CliftonLarsonAllen with on-site work scheduled mid-April and a June draft report timeline; Director Spagna also presented FY26 budget projections showing several projected overages and a plan to reclassify revolving-fund expenses into operating as a reserve.
The Easton School Committee heard an operational-review update and a budget-status presentation that together set the district’s near-term oversight and fiscal priorities.
Mister Hamilton and Director Spagna summarized the selection and early work with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA). Spagna said CLA held an initial kickoff on April 8 and will be on-site April 13 to pull data; the team anticipates a draft report due June 15 and a final report around June 22, with a full-committee update planned in May. “They said they’ll be the pain in our side, which is fine,” a CLA representative said, signaling an intensive data-review process.
On the fiscal front, Spagna reviewed FY26 activity through March 31. Most budget lines remain within appropriation, he said, but he identified specific projected overages and accounting actions: nonpublic-school tuitions are currently overdrawn after reclassifying expenses from the circuit-breaker fund into operating; the tutoring line shows a projected year-end overage (Spagna estimated roughly $57,000) largely driven by a newly signed $50,000 tutoring contract; and technology implementation costs for the district’s Munis rollout were shown as a $300,000 projected overexpenditure. Spagna said the district plans to move some expenditures from revolving funds into operating temporarily to create a reserve cushion for anticipated end-of-year obligations.
Committee members pressed on turnaround time and staffing for the operational review; Spagna said two CLA staff will be on-site on Monday and that quick committee feedback in June is essential to meet the timeline. Members also discussed device replacement needs, noting that earlier federally purchased Chromebooks are failing and that the district must keep at least one grade-level worth of Chromebooks ready to meet MCAS requirements.
Spagna said he will return with journal entries and recommended transfers once the accounting coordinator aligns expenses to the correct DESI codes and that he expects to present recommended moves before closing the fiscal year.
