Debate Over Financial Policy Continues

For months, the Board of Finance (BOF) and Board of Education (BOE) have been going back and forth over a financial policy designed to prevent the BOE from opening bank accounts outside the Town of Stafford's supervision. Back in July, the Stafford Free Press reported that the BOF voted to move forward with drafting a new policy requiring the BOE to obtain permission before opening any new accounts. At the December 1, 2025, BOF meeting, there were dueling drafts of this policy – following months of discussion – and a general “let’s just get this done” vibe. 

Over the past few months, Stafford’s Superintendent of Schools, Scott Sugarman, expressed concern over language in the Town’s version of the policy that suggested the Town’s Finance Director would “manage” the schools’ accounts. Sugarman was not at Monday’s meeting but sent a memo expressing concern about a persistent misunderstanding of who controls BOE finances.

BOF Chair Steve Geryk asked Stafford’s Financial Director, Yana Abramovich, why she believed the BOE’s version of the policy limits the Town’s control and exposes it to audit risks. She said she was concerned the Town could end up in a similar situation to when the BOE tried to open a new bank account after the Board of Finance (BOF) decided to take $700,000 out of the fund to partially repay the General Fund for the $1.2 million the town says it has contributed since 2021.

Geryk pointed out that Sugarman’s version of the policy said that all BOE funds must be deposited in bank accounts held by the Town. When he asked how this would create a conflict for Abramovich, she said that she and Sheri Davis, the school district's Director of Finance and Operations, would need to agree on internal controls. Geryk argued that it was outside the policy's purview, whose goal is to prevent the BOE from maintaining bank accounts that aren’t visible to the Town. 

Board member Tony Pellegrino asked Abramovich if she currently handles BOE funds. “There’s really no management going on,” he said. “It’s just transferring the funds.” He lamented that the board had been discussing this policy for months and had made little progress. 

One of the board's new members, Shelly Hurchala West, moved to have Abramovich and Davis meet to draft a unified, cleaned-up version of the policy to be presented at the BOF’s January meeting. The motion passed.