Finance Panel Presses Schools Over Budget Moves

School Committee · Meeting of August 19, 2026

Fall River's School Committee Finance Subcommittee pressed administrators over roughly $3.3 million moved among three new alternative programs without a committee vote. Member Agam said "you don't have the authority, as superintendent, to take that $3.3 million and spend it in three different schools without a vote of this committee." Chief Financial Officer Petronio said he has since created separate cost centers for Evolve, RPA and the district's new virtual school, and the superintendent agreed to bring a staffing and cost breakdown to the Sept. 2 School Committee meeting. Members also flagged a $715,000 McKinney-Vento transportation account balance and a $72,000 overspend on homeless-student transportation, offset by a $165,000 surplus elsewhere.

The panel separately reviewed a new three-year city waste contract with Capital Waste, with a member estimating the district pays roughly $300,000 annually in waste costs. The subcommittee's only vote was to adjourn.

In the full story:

• Waste Removal Contract: Oversight Gaps and New Accountability Measures
• Alternative Programs Budget: Evolve, RPA and the Virtual School
• Year-End Financial Report and Revolving Accounts
• New Business: Subcommittee Vetting of a New Position
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,718 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of August 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.