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HOLDEN, Mass. — After an error in the fiscal year 2012 budget led to an over-expenditure to the tune of $1.2 million, the Wachusett Regional School Committee has voted to terminate the contract of Business Manager Peter Brennan, and is exploring a forensic audit of the school department's finance history.
An additional $1.4 million shortfall in employee benefits and insurance called for "significant and substantial reductions" to FY13 according to Superintendent Thomas Pandiscio.
The $2.6 Million mistake played a key role in the committee's later decision to support Rutland's proposed reduction to a $79,064,670 budget by 15-3. After the originally proposed budget failed to get support in Rutland and Paxton, Wachusett's superintendent recommended supporting Rutland's number.
Rumors of the errors began circulating last week, and Monday night's scheduled school committee meeting began with a protracted executive session for discipline of an employee.
"Mr. Brennan was dismissed for failure to perform his duties as the district's chief financial officer," said School Committee Chairman Duncan Leith. "Specifically Mr. Brennan failed to forecast growth in the health insurance budget in an adequate manner."
Leith said Brennan ignored standards and practices in using spending history to predict future expenses, and the resulting error forced the district to make significant cuts in other line items to balance the budget.
The chair added that Brennan recently left the FY12 budget out of balance by using a faulty spreadsheet of his own creation.
The amount of the over-expenditure was not initially stated; however, Pandiscio later confirmed it at approximately $1.2 million for FY12.
The school committee voted to have its business and finance subcommittee consider an audit of the school department finances, but left the it open-ended whether it would be a forensic audit. Due to the school committee's by-laws on new business, they were unable to vote on the matter Monday night and the full committee will vote on the recommendation at their next meeting on Aug. 8.
In order to restore credibility to the school department, School Committee member Stacey Jackson says she is hoping the Business and Finance Subcommiittee will come back with the recommendation for a very thorough audit.
"I think the whole community needs the result of that audit to feel more comfortable," she said.
School Committee member Erik Scheinfeldt said that he believed the business manager was terminated for good cause.
"He made a lot of mistakes with forecasting the budget, and that is one of the primary reasons we're in the mess we're in," he said.
While supporting the budget reduction was a tough decision, Scheinfeldt said "ultimately I made the decision to get a budget passed for this year and tried to also keep in mind the concerns of the voters."
Though the superintendent reported the $1.2 million over-expenditure, Scheinfeldt said "to be honest, the numbers don't make much sense to me at this point," and supported talk at the meeting for a full audit to be conducted.
"I think we need to get to the bottom of this given the severity of the negligence of the business manager, I honestly don't know what to believe now," he said. "An audit will help us better understand what happened."
Members of the Holden Board of Selectmen were present at the meeting as well, and Selectman Bob Lavigne expressed disappointment that the shortfall amount was not clearly stated during the public meeting.
"It was a little bit less than transparent, and its a way for rumors in the community to continue to perpetuate,' he said. "Even I can only work under the rumors that I've heard, which was between $1 and $3 million — which is a huge difference. I was hoping to hear some kind of number from the school committee and superintendent tonight so that we could start to formulate a game plan."
Selectman Anthony Renzoni added that he was disappointed that the statement following the executive session was "vague at best."
"I've been contacted throughout the week and I've heard mis-accounted numbers from $1 to up to $4 Million. Granted they're all rumors, but until I was hoping to get something cleared up tonight."
Lavigne was also disappointed that they didn't call for an independent audit.
"Recommending it to business and finance to review the possibility of maybe having an audit just didn't seem like enough from the town's standpoint," said Lavigne. "We should have just called for an independent audit right now to find out what happened with the money so that we could move forward with it."
Comments (40)
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WHY are we taking our eye off the ball? Peter Brennan created the revenue sharing plan. The revenue sharing plan was to provide more equality to the towns of the district. As a part of this plan and the new fiscal budget. Our Superintendent Pandiscio attempted to increase the budget by $3.5 Million dollars. Brennan made "errors" LAST year. He made additional "errors" this year. These "errors" cost us somewhere in the ballpark of $3 million. The Business Manager has been reported of using two sets of books and misleading the finance and school committee's. For anyone that knows Superintendent Pandiscio you would agree that he is a "hands on" guy. You could say a micro manager. To say he did not know about these "errors" is really a stretch. Brennan created the new plan, Pandiscio was like Tony Robbins selling the plan. Could it be that the hope was that the additional revenue would solve the "error" issue? The "two sets of books" issue would resolve itelf. We pay the Superintendent Pandiscio over $200,000 a year! WHY does he not know about $3 million in "errors"? If he did know and did not report it, he also has an issue! Lets talk about the school committee report that Superintendent Pandiscio was moving funds around without school committee approval. That is illegel! So, Brennan created a plan. Pandiscio increased the budget by $3 million in the middle of the worse economic downturn since the great depression. Pandiscio sold it like Tony Robbins. Shortly after the overrides in Rutland and Paxton failed, the "errors" were revealed... hmmm. Then in the Landmark, Suerintendent Pandiscio was quoted as blaming the finance committee for digging a deeper hole with the push for a forensic audit. It may cost $200,000 to get to the truth Mr. Pandiscio, but that is certainly less than $3 MILLION! I encourage ALL parents to attend the school committee meeting this Monday and see first hand which school committee members vote no. Time for Truth!
OK Deminimus Maximus (AKA Maureen F) if you don't think I can beat you and Margaret in a two on one debate why do you continue to hide like a scared child behind your Deminimus alias?
Why do you back down time after time from my offers to debate you on cable TV?
Now is your chance to explain the WRSD's continued failures to find multi-million dollars in their own budget.
OK Maureen it is time for you to back down and crawl away and hide yet again.
dwilliams: Contrary to false rumors I did not lose in court. I chose not to pursue charges after a mistake by the Leominster clerk of court’s office led to incorrect paper work being filed in the initial case.
Winning a two on one televised debate against Margaret Watson and Maureen F. would be a walk in the park. If you disagree, please feel free to convince them to take me up on my numerous offers. Please….
You sure didn't win, Mr. Ed. You never do, because the cases keep getting dismissed.
You can't win in court, Ed. What makes you think you can win on television?
To Maureen (AKA Deminimus Maximus) of course, as you said, a debate with “ain’t happening”. You, like your idol Margaret Watson, would quickly fall apart under the pressure of a on air debate especially considering your lack of knowledge and your indefensible position on the school committee’s continued multi-million dollar mistakes.
As I said earlier you will back down time and again and continue to hide like a scared little child behind your silly Deminimus Maximus alias. How sad.
To Just the Facts - these are the indisputable facts:
The Inspector General’s Office uncovered $139,000 in ‘Wasteful Spending’ in the WRSD budget. Just the tip of the iceberg in that case.
The high school project ran (according to Duncan Leith) $15 MILLION over budget.
As memory serves we were sued for an additional $6.4 MILLION on the high school project and we lost every dime of that $6.4 MILLION in lawsuits.
Peter Brennan’s accounting errors last September led to a $383,645 budget mistake (See: Wachusett accounting error sets back FY12 budget)
Peter Brennan’s further mistakes earlier this year led to the WRSD’s embarrassing 48% ‘revenue sharing’ fiasco which would have resulted in a major reduction to their budget.
Peter Brennan’s spreadsheet errors dating back to 2011 led to a $1.5 MILLION shortfall in employee benefit costs.
Peter Brennan’s further errors led to an additional $1.2 MILLION ‘Over-Expenditure’ in their budget.
Excluding the major 48% revenue sharing error that comes to an incredible $24.6 MILLION in wasteful spending, cost overruns, spreadsheet errors and budget mistakes and NOBODY caught any of these major league mistakes until after the WRSD was investigated by the MA Inspector General’s Office or after annual audits. Wasn’t that their job? Why wasn’t anyone questioning these major errors in their own budget?
We pay Mr. Pandiscio more than $200,000 per year in salary and benefits. He should have caught all of the last $3+ MILLION in errors. That is his job.
Peter Brennan answered directly to Duncan Leith and his school committee. They should too should have caught all of these errors. That is their job.
The solution: A school committee vote of ‘No Confidence’ in Superintendent Pandiscio and the immediate resignation of Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cynthia Bazinet (the three Holden members who have been on the school committee through all of these major league errors).
As noted before, I will be happy to debate these issues with you on cable TV for the general public to view but like Margaret Watson and Deminimus Maximus (AKA Maureen F) I doubt you will take me up on my offer.
Mr. Ed's nonsensical jibber (according to JustTheFacts) consists of the above. My nonsensical jibber consists of the following:
Let there be due process.
In the meantime, no rush to judgment naming names of selective individuals on the school committee as worthy of extra-special blame.
Mr. Ed has a history of anti-District invective and actions that readers have a right to know.
A debate with him ain't happening.
By the way, I don't shut up at the behest of Mr. Ed or JustTheFacts. I'm funny that way.
To Deminimus Maximus (AKA Maureen F) You were offered a choice, Put Up or Shut Up but like your idol Margaret Watson you have chosen the coward’s way out.
You chose to continue hiding like a scared child behind your Deminimus Maximus alias. I am willing to debate the two of you on cable TV. It is obvious you do not have the guts or the ammunition to attempt a defense of your indefensible position. You chose the shut up option. How sad.
Let me understand this.
You people argue like siblings stuck in the back seat on a long road trip and nobody but the participants care. THEN, Mr. Ed comes up with a brilliant idea to bring the arguments to public access TV so even more people don't care?
Perhaps you should spend a little more time trying to find solutions rather than tearing people down with nonsensical jibber.
Yes, we are exactly alike.
Thanks, JTF.
I have a great idea ladies. How about we do a two on one public debate of the issues on Holden Access TV. Of course you will have to stop hiding behind your childish aliases and actually defend your positions.
I made a similar offer several times to Margaret Watson but she backed down every time. I suspect you two will do the same.
OK ladies it is time to discuss the issues in a public forum. Let's let the taxpayers decide who is right and who is wrong. The choice is yours ladies, Put Up or Shut Up.
How about we discover all the facts? What would be debated since none of us, including you, knows enough yet?
Debate you? Exercise in futility. Give you a forum for destroying the reputations of individuals? Never.
I choose where and when I use my words. It won't be in a debate with a serial smearer.
Not putting up or shutting up. You're not the boss of me.
Hmmmmm......
$139,000 in “Wasteful Spending” caught by the MA Inspector General’s Office.
A high school renovation project that ran $15 MILLION over budget plus an additional $6.4 MILLION in lawsuits.
Two accounting errors totaling $383,321.
Their 48% revenue sharing mistake.
Their latest $2.6 MILLION overspending / accounting mistake dating back to July of last year.
Leith, Watson and Bazinet were on the school committee for every one of these very expensive mistakes and they failed to catch even a single one. And now you are trying to shift the blame to me for questioning their mistakes?!?!!?
Clearly, Ms. Deminimus Maximus (AKA Maureen F), logic and reason are beyond your grasp. How sad.
You are not questioning. You are concluding, complete with names. You have appointed yourself judge, jury, and executioner before an investigation has even begun.
What you are doing is known as waving the bloody shirt: using inflammatory rhetoric that exploits public prejudice and resentment. Mob mentality.
And there's always a place for the angry young man,
with his fist in the air and his head in the sand
And he's never been able to learn from mistakes,
so he can't understand why his heart always breaks
His honor is pure and his courage as well,
He thinks he's fair and he's true, but he's boring as hell
And he'll go to the grave as an angry old man
~~B. Joel
Let’s see Ms. Deminimus Maximus (AKA Maureen F) Leith, Watson and Bazinet failed to stop the out of control spending of Ex-Superintendent Al Tutela. It took a 13 month investigation by the MA Inspector General’s Office to catch their $139,000 mistake. Leith, Watson and Bazinet failed to catch last year’s $383,645 accounting mistake in their own budget by Peter Brennan. Leith, Watson and Bazinet failed to catch the 48% revenue sharing blunder back in January. And Leith, Watson and Bazinet failed to catch a $2.6 MILLION error (which has been going on since July of last year). Now, on top of their 48% revenue sharing blunder, we have had an incredible Three MILLION One Hundred and Twenty-Two Thousand Six Hundred and Forty-Five dollars ($3,122,645) in misspent money, budget mistakes and overspending just over the past seven years. OK Maureen please tell us how many more mistakes we should let them make before we take action to correct their out of control failures? They clearly have zero credibility left. What do we do now Maureen?
I know what you do, Mr. Ed:
1. Wave around your list of names.
2. Pass out pitchforks.
3. Dredge up ancient battles and distort their import.
4. Capitalize MILLION.
5. Scream "Tutela!"
6. Ignore due process.
7. Sue someone.
Perseveration in an adult, Ed, is not good.
Haha!! Best. Comment. Ever. Thank you.
To Mr. Williams and Deminimus Maximus (AKA Maureen F) apparently you like the school committee have missed lot. Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet were singled out because they were the three Holden reps who have been on the school committee through and since the Al Tutela debacle. They are the ones who have failed to catch any of the four fiascos since that time. And Maureen the IG’s report was 7, not 10 years ago and it’s findings ring true still.
We have had an incredible Three MILLION One Hundred and Twenty-Two Thousand Six Hundred and Forty-Five dollars ($3,122,645) in errors. Now Mr. Williams and Deminimus Maximus, after $3,122,645 in missed budget errors, do you really believe this administration and this school committee has even a shred of credibility left?
IG report: I should have said nearly a decade ago, oh dear.
Three reps who have been on the school committee for a long time should have caught an error that just occurred because....?
Only the named reps from Holden should have caught the error because....?
Mr. Ed's three favorite targets on the school committee have been singled out for special culpability because...?
Mr. Ed must throw out allegations and conspiracy theories before any investigation has taken place because...?
He does like to name names, doesn't he?
I don't believe any of us needs lessons in credibility from one who has been dragging the District and individuals into one ill-advised court action after another for (nearly) two decades only to have them laughed out of court.
Someone in an earlier post used the word vendetta. Not even a pretense of due process from Mr. Ed. Just a rush to judgment and a craven smearing of perceived enemies.
OK, Mr. Williams let’s talk FACTS. For years under the Al Tutela regime School Committee members Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet assured us they were spending our tax dollars wisely. The 27 page report from the MA Inspector General’s office proved them WRONG! The IG’s 13 month investigation of their budget showed nearly $139,000 in wasted expenses. And the school committee claimed they didn’t know…. Wasn’t it their job to know? Strike one.
On September 14, 2011 the news headline read “Wachusett accounting error sets back FY12 budget”. At that time the school committee announced a Three Hundred and Eighty-Three Thousand Sixty Hundred and Forty-Five dollar ($383,645) accounting error made by Peter Brennan. Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet failed to catch this major $383,645 error. Wasn’t that their job? Strike two.
In January of this year the school committee proposed a 48% ‘Revenue Sharing’ plan with the district towns as crafted by Peter Brennan. Again the school committee failed to do its homework. They failed to catch Mr. Brennan’s error. They failed to realize they could not legally attach Enterprise Fund accounts (electric, water & sewer, trash). They quickly dropped this ill-conceived plan when they realized 48% of ‘available’ revenues were far less than they were currently receiving from the towns. Once again school committee members Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet failed to catch a major error in their own budget. Strike three.
Now the school committee announces an incredible Two MILLION Six Hundred Thousand dollar ($2.6 MILLION) series of errors dating back to last July. For the FOURTH time school committee members Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet failed to catch a major accounting error. This is the school committee we are entrusting with roughly Ninety MILLION ($90,000,000) of our tax dollars every year?!?!?!?!?? Strike four.
Not counting their 48% revenue sharing fiasco we are now up to an incredible Three MILLION One Hundred and Twenty-Two Thousand Six Hundred and Forty-Five dollars ($3,122,645) in errors. Now Mr. Williams, after $3,122,645 in missed budget errors, do you really believe this administration and this school committee has even a shred of credibility left?
Why does Mr. Ed name and vilify three members of a 20-person school committee for particular blame? Oh, that's right, he's been harrassing, bullying and suing these three for years.
The budget is audited independently every year. My understanding is that the error is recent and was reported as soon as it was discovered. Conflating this event with the decade-old findings of the IG report, which, truth be told, are far less drastic and inflammatory than Mr. Ed describes, is irresponsible.
Take Mr. Ed's assertions with a block of salt.
Without agreeing with your interpretations of these so-called FACTS (your emphasis), can you tell us just when it was that the towns reduced the number of school committee members to three? I'm fairly certain all the rest of us missed that vote.
Well, it looks like the dogged edmeyer has, once again, found his old bone and has taken to gnawing on it for a while before showing it off to all his friends. The old bone, of course, is his usual and by now rather gummed-on contention that certain members of the school committee--but only his usual targets--have committed something close to malfeasance in office by failing to stop a district employee from making a mistake in conducting the district's business.
He mischaracterizes Dr. Pandiscio as essentially guaranteeing that in creating the postion of business manager the district would be free of any future fiscal or budgetary problems, where Mr. Meyer quotes the superintendent as saying the business manager "would answer directly to school board members, providing direct access to financial information independent of the superintendent. That direct relationship would help protect the district from financial mismanagement, said Mr. Pandiscio.”
Mr. Meyer then goes on to proclaim that, "Given yesterday’s revelation of a $2.6 MILLION budget error it is clear that their severely broken system failed."
Well, one thing is clear, and that is that the SYSTEM didn't fail; it worked. What failed was Mr. Brennan's budgeting. The error was found, reported timely and directly to the Committee, and upon receipt of the information, the Committee acted immediately to terminate Mr. Brennan's contract.
But that's not where Mr. Meyer's gnawing ends. With no information other that the error was found and the person responsible for it was terminated, he immediately blames the three individuals whose ankles he's constantly attempting to grab hold of. Yes, as members of the Committee, each has the duty to act in the best interests of the district, but one certainly has to wonder why his wrath is not directed to those members who, say, might be on the sub-committee of competent jurisdiction over budgets and finance.
One might also wonder just where is the logic of, on the one hand, calling for a forensic audit (assumedly to determine how the error or other errors was created), while on the other, predetermining that his usual targets are the ones who, by name, must be responsible for the dilemma the district now finds itself in.
No, Mr. Meyer's outrage is just a symptom of a rather rabid vendetta, and not one based on either fact or logic.
Find a new bone, Ed.
Who refused to call for a forensic audit? Who? The school committee set up a proper process for an investigation to begin. No one said don't do a forensic audit. Commenters should not make things up. This situation is hard enough without disinformation.
This is quite embarassing to all the Wachusett Towns, school administration and school committee. Mr. Brennan should be afforded the same rights that we so willingly give to violent criminals (innocent until proven guilty). Budgets can sometimes be akin to nailing jello to a tree. I am sure the Boards of Selectmen and FinComs in Rutland and Paxton have a good understanding of that process. I believe that the chances of monies being inappropriately spent are low but not entirely absent. The levels of accountability, in Towns such as ours, are good. I do not understand the reluctance on the part of the School Committee to call for forensic audits, I use the plural of audit because multiple years should be included (3 to 5). This may well be one mistake leading to another but where truly was the beginning. I will not denigrate the members of the School Committee, they each possess abilities some greater than others but they may be running somewhat astray of core duties and values that can be difficult to define. They, as a matter of course, answer to many masters each of whom define priorities in vastly different ways and levels, not an easy position to be in. The District will suffer budgetary pain for some time. Confidence and credibility need to be restored as quickly as possible. This will not be accomplished by "voting the bums out" as has been suggested. These people are dedicated, educated and comitted and most importantly "RARE" as is evidenced by the lack of candidates at election time. The best thing that can happen is to conduct the forensic audits post haste. Secondly the complete budget should be posted on the District website, this means complete-every item. Dr. Pandiscio has stated that there is nothing to hide so we should not have to request these documents through the Freedom of Information Act. The length of time it takes to comply with these two items will definitely impact the length of budgetary pain.
Joe Dell'Aquila Rutland
While no one should make unsuporrted claims until all the facts are known, it is at best extraordinarily disconcerting that this happened. Nd absent a genuine, meaningful independent investigation of this, the facts sal remain unknown.
Those suggesting this matter ought not, or need not be investigated are at least equally wrong as those suggesting they sonehow know for a fact there was intentional wrongdoing or criminality here.
I do have to say this becomes al the worse when one considers the recent history of the school district's leadership.
It may well be purely a matter of incompetenceand not in the least a criminal act.
But isnt that unnerving enough ?
This sort if thing will only continue. After all, it seems to me, when intentional grossly inappropriate, if not outright criminal, misuse of taxpayers' funds went unpunished a few years back, and tgere were choruses of voices defending it, i am not sure why the parents and constituents of the District would expect any better.
And shame on us all for not demanding better, for that matter.
Due process is never good enough, or quick enough, for the mob. (Remember to thank the founders that you have rights.) Audits and careful deliberation of the facts is called for. Ad hominem attacks are not.
Shortly after the MA Inspector General’s Office 13 month investigation of ex-superintendent Al Tutela’s budget led to Mr. Tutela’s termination and the resignations of his top two aides Steve Penke and Paul Soojian the school committee promoted Peter Brennan to the position of Business Manager.
As Business manager Mr. Brennan “would answer directly to school board members, providing direct access to financial information independent of the superintendent. That direct relationship would help protect the district from financial mismanagement, said Mr. Pandiscio.” (Worcester Telegram 7/24/12)
Given yesterday’s revelation of a $2.6 MILLION budget error it is clear that their severely broken system failed. Key members of the school committee starting with Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet clearly failed to do their homework on their own budgets. How could they have missed this massive $2.6 MILLION error for so long? They absolutely failed in their elected duties to spend our tax dollars wisely.
As part of its 27 page report the MA Inspector General’s Office recommended an “independent audit/review of internal controls over district expenditures as part of a complete fraud risk assessment”. Later referred to as a forensic audit. The school committee failed to do any type of audit at that time. They merely swept the problem under the rug.
Last night when one member of the school committee recommended a forensic audit Margaret Watson immediately objected claiming it would take too long; they wouldn’t know what periods to investigate; the costs would be too high. These were the same excuses given the last time the school committee failed to do its job.
Terminated Business Agent Peter Brennan now walks away with a hefty pension (my estimate up to $80,000+ per year plus medical and dental benefits) and we get stuck dealing with his $2.6 MILLION error. All thanks to the failure of Leith, Watson, Bazinet et al to do their homework on their own budget.
We should have learned our lesson after the Al Tutela fiasco. We didn’t. Unless major administrative and school committee changes are made now it is unlikely we will learn our lesson this time either…..
edmeyer, "Terminated Business Agent Peter Brennan now walks away with a hefty pension (my estimate up to $80,000+ per year plus medical and dental benefits)" based on what? The public pension system is based on years of service within the Worcester County Retirement System. You need a minimum of 10 years to be vested at all and at 20 years you get 50% of the average of you highest 3 years of service at age 60, I believe.
So edmeyer how many years of municipal service does Peter Brennan have in total? That will be the basis of his retirement award in the future. If he does not have 10 years he will get nothing from us. I am also not sure, but I believe, that if he retires after he has left the system he cannot then sign up for health insurance.
Last night Margaret Watson pointed out that a forensic audit would not be completed in time for an August 20th school committee meeting. She also pointed out that it would be expensive. Both of these assertions are true. She did not "object" to having a forensic audit.
Paul Soojian resigned to take a superintendent position. Steve Penke left the district to head up a hospital in Athol, where he remains. Neither move was in response to the Inspector General's report. Neither gentleman deserves the innuendo so loosely and characteristically tossed into print by Ed Meyer.
Brennan is the tip of the iceberg. The school committee, which is overseen by Pandiscio, should leave and take him with them. This is what happens when elected people don't do their jobs. The towns in this district have had quite enough of these greedy ("It's for the kids!") spendthrifts. Holden, Paxton, Rutland, Sterling, Princeton: Take back your schools! Begin the process now with K-8.
PS to Holden: These are the same know-nothings who want to replace Mountview!
So the response to this situation is to punish the middle school children of your community?
Leave it to Mark Ferguson (OPPS!!! Pat Henry) to add some reasoned clarity to a difficult situation.
Indeed. The chorus of hateful, neurotic, ignorant adults who have and will comment here (and whose kids don't even go to the schools in the District--if they have any) has already begun. No doubt they call themselves Christians, as well, attend church regularly, and send their kids to "Christian" schools. Their pathology runs quite deep.
An yes....And for all those "haters" who've asked only that our money be spent wisely and that those responsible be good stewards of our money, looks like your concerns are indeed well founded.
That's not all the "haters" have asked. Pat Henry wants to break up the District, always has. Ed Meyer wants the heads of the superintendent, Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson, and Cynthia Bazinet on a platter, always has. He brings the the District to court and sues individuals at the drop of a HAT and has been doing so for two decades. Two days have passed yet, miraculously, he hasn't found a way to blame Ken O'Brien. He will.
The "haters" do not ask only that our money be spent wisely and that those responsible be good stewards of your money. If that were the case they wouldn't be "haters"; all citizens want that.
The"haters" smear everyone connected with the district, conduct witch hunts, and will use this bad situation as a handy cudgel to try to stop progress on the Mountview building project.