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Preston BOE pressed to explain $434,440 in 2024–25 overages; superintendent apologizes for unvoted van purchase
Summary
A Board of Finance letter and public commenters raised questions about $434,440 in 2024–25 overages and a late‑year van purchase the superintendent acknowledged he approved without a Board vote; the BOE voted to review and asked for itemized explanations at its November meeting.
Megan Gallant, chair of the Preston Board of Education, faced questions Oct. 20 after the Preston Board of Finance sent a letter flagging $434,440 in apparent overages across non‑major budget categories in fiscal 2024–25 and public commenters asked for greater transparency.
The Board of Finance’s letter, included in the meeting record, identified Transportation as $209,940 over budget, Plant Operations $101,573, Instructional Technology $81,868 and Supplies and Materials $41,059 — a combined $434,440, about a 30 percent overage for those line items. The letter cited Board of Education policy #3160 and urged the BOE to explain why the spending occurred without explicit Board authorization.
Director of Finance Cindy Varricchio told the Board the external audit visit "went very well" and said the town‑return amount will be finalized when the audit concludes. She also said $105,037 was placed in the Board’s Non‑Lapsing Fund for 2023–24 and that none of those funds were spent in 2024–25.
Superintendent Dr. Roy Seitsinger acknowledged a late‑year purchase of a van made to meet special‑education transportation needs, saying the purchase was driven by safety, immediate availability and cost savings because it was bought before tariffs took effect. "He admitted that he did not bring the purchase back to the Board for a vote," the meeting record shows; he apologized and said policies and procedures would be reviewed and adjusted where necessary.
Board members asked for greater documentation. Courtney Ennis requested an itemized list of end‑of‑year expenditures and Nicole Serra urged clearer practices for line‑item transfers; Varricchio said the business office will expedite encumbrances and that future tracking will be part of budget reports.
Parent and taxpayer Johanna Thibdeau, whose emailed public comment was read into the record, wrote that she discovered the alleged rapid expenditure only through her own meeting attendance and wrote, "Frankly, I feel misled," asking why decisions of this scale were not discussed with the Board ahead of time.
The Board voted to take up the September and year‑end financial reports at its November meeting and to review the requested explanations for 2024–25 purchases. The district said it will share a procedure for the Non‑Lapsing Fund with the Board of Finance and will conduct a policy review on line‑item transfers.
What happens next: the Board plans to vote on the financial reports at its November meeting and promised follow‑up documentation; the audit’s final determinations will inform whether funds must be returned to the town.
