A sizable shortfall in last year’s Fall River Public Schools annual net school spending budget drew the ire of city councilors in May. Between January and June, the city transferred free cash to cover what was described as a $5 million deficit in the school district’s budget. 

As of the Nov. 12 City Council Committee on Finance meeting, interim Chief Financial Officer Emily Arpke said that shortfall may have been closer to $7 million. 

Arpke gave councilors a routine first quarter check-in on the Fiscal 2026 city budget, where City Councilor Cliff Ponte echoed questions asked at the Nov. 10 School Committee meeting: how did the Fiscal 2025 shortfall occur, exactly, and how can budget overages — especially those linked to indirect cost agreements — be avoided down the line? 

See more at heraldnews.com.