An unexpected $14.4 million deficit in this past fiscal year’s budget, which the Brockton School Committee learned about at the time its superintendent announced he’d be taking an extended medical leave, has prompted an independent, third-party audit and investigation.
The committee authorized the audit and investigation of the budget during a rare Friday emergency meeting at Brockton High School.
Fiscal year ’23 ended June 30, but Mayor Robert Sullivan said the deficit wasn’t learned about until this week, prompting an emergency executive session meeting that lasted four hours Thursday night.
“I support this wholeheartedly,” Sullivan said of the audit and investigation during Friday’s meeting. “I want to do a deep dive. I want to work with a firm that specializes in this type of thing, not connected to the city of Brockton. I think that’s extremely important.”
Superintendent Mike Thomas, who has been in the district for 30 years, informed the committee this week he’d be out on extended medical leave, just days before the new school year begins, with teachers reporting Tuesday and students Wednesday.
In June, the committee announced Thomas would also serve as interim principal of Brockton High School starting this fall, according to the Brockton Enterprise.
The committee on Friday appointed James Cobbs, deputy superintendent of operations, as acting superintendent. It’s unclear how Thomas’ position at the high school will be covered for the time being.
Brockton had a budget of roughly $221 million in 2022-23, a figure that has increased to $229 million for 2023-24. Thomas’s gross pay was $271,132 in 2022, per city payroll records, the Enterprise reported.
It has been a tumultuous past few months for the district which enrolls about 14,900 students.
Thomas announced in May that 130 certified staff positions would be eliminated due to an $18 million deficit in this current fiscal year’s budget. The superintendent cited how nearly 1,350 students had left the district since the start of the pandemic.
“While we are confident that our five-year district improvement process will encourage new families to move to Brockton, unfortunately our current enrollment does not support existing staffing levels,” Thomas said in a statement at the time. “This is in no way a reflection of the incredible work that our educators do every day and I am greatly disappointed that it has come to this.”
Sullivan said he met with the district leadership team – building principals and executive office – Friday morning about how to ensure a smooth transition for the start of the new year.
The next regular committee meeting, in which community members will be allowed to raise concerns during public comment, is scheduled for Wednesday evening.
Speaking to reporters Thursday night, Sullivan said, “As mayor, a BPS alum, and a parent of a student in the BPS system, I am extremely dismayed; collectively, we are all dismayed by the situation.”
“And we are committed to ensuring that we will rectify this situation, appoint new leadership,” the mayor added, “and move forward with our concise strategy to deliver the best schools for our teachers, our staff, our students, our parents, and of course, our guardians.”