School Department Returns Nearly $330,000 in Unspent Funds to Town-October 29, 1981

Administration Report Reveals Surplus from 1980-81 Budget Overestimation

The Norwood School Department returned nearly $330,000 in unspent funds to the town treasury at the conclusion of the previous school year, according to an administration report presented to the School Committee last night.

The financial breakdown indicated that $129,609 originally targeted for salaries and $200,032 earmarked for operational expenses—such as building maintenance and utility costs—went unspent because the committee overestimated its funding needs during the preparation of the 1980-81 budget. Under municipal financial rules, excess funds residing in specific school accounts cannot be reallocated internally without formal approval from a town meeting.

Committee Members Split on Significance of Budget Surplus

Reactions among School Committee members were sharply divided regarding the surplus return:

• Joseph Pentowski praised the report as a “positive” development, arguing that it dispels public criticism by demonstrating that the committee does not automatically spend every available dollar it receives.
• Charles C. Saraca and Rudith Berkowitz expressed a more cautious view, noting that taxpayers might rightly question why the committee failed to estimate its fiscal requirements more accurately during budget drafting.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger