By James Lomuscio
Insurance proceeds of $562,367 for prior mold remediation at Coleytown Middle School (CMS) will go into the town’s general fund, not the schools’ carryover account as the Board of Education requested.
That was the unanimous decision of the Board of Finance tonight.
“The carryover account shouldn’t be the mold account,” Board of Finance Chairman Brian Stern said before the board’s vote approving an amendment for the funds to go into the general fund.
“Have the carryover account stand on its own two feet,” he added.
The reason for the shift, Stern said, is that “the scale of the mold problem is different from it was six weeks ago.”
Besieged by mold over a hot and humid summer, Coleytown, with a sign off from the Westport Weston Health District following mold remediation, opened for the first day of school.
However, the problem persisted. Dozens of illnesses including lightheadedness and dizziness among faculty and students were reported on Sept. 17.
The school has since been closed, its students relocated to Bedford Middle School and Staples High School.
It is uncertain when the school will reopen as mold remediation and infrastructure renovations proceed.
“Because this is such a significant issue for the town, it would not be an appropriate issue for the carryover account,” said Lee Caney, finance board member. “It’s more important for the funds to come back to the town.”
The schools would then have to go to the finance board and then the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) to request the appropriation, he said. With the carryover account, the school system only needs a nod from the finance board, not the town’s legislative body.
“Revenue should go into the general fund,” said Michael Rea, finance board vice chairman. “The taxpayers need transparency on all types of expenditures. We should deny this and instruct the money go into the general fund.”
The finance board did just that, as well as with the school’s second request for approval up to $400,000 from the schools’ carryover account for mold costs at CMS.
With another amendment, the finance board tweaked the schools’ request to authorize $400,000 from the general fund, not the carryover account.
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This story has been updated to clarify that it is undetermined how long CMS will remain closed.
