The superintendent of Brockton Public Schools, who was identified in an investigative report as a key figure responsible for an $18 million budget shortfall in 2023, has resigned his position, district officials confirmed Friday.
Superintendent Michael Thomas was in charge during the 2023 fiscal year, when the district found itself millions of dollars short of its budget. The news wasn't made public until August 2023 and came as a shock to parents and the community.
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The deficit, according to an independent investigation commissioned by the city, came down to overspending in three major areas — employee salaries, transportation; and out-of-district tuition. The investigators found that no money was missing and no evidence of fraud, theft or other criminal action.
The report by law firm of Nystrom, Beckman & Paris identified Thomas as a significant contributor to the crisis.
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Also among the issues, according to the report was Thomas' lack of financial understanding, who described himself as "not a numbers guy" and relied on the school’s finance department to guide spending despite his legal responsibility to guide it. According to the report:
“Thomas claimed that his focus was all about the students, which is laudatory, but his leadership was guided by gut instinct, force of personality, and a commitment to people who viewed the world his way and did not question his decision making. With no tolerance for dissent, Thomas led with an ‘iron fist’ and made spending decisions regardless of cost, existing policies, or good business judgment.”
Thomas went out on medical leave shortly before the budget deficit was revealed last year. Days later, he told NBC10 Boston that the district overspent the budget, but that "nothing criminal, nothing inappropriate" had occurred.
During a fiery school committee meeting this February, called on an emergency basis to discuss the issue of student violence, Thomas announced he was rescinding his retirement notice, which he submitted while on medical leave.
"If Mike Thomas was here, this stuff at the high school, you know, would not be happening," Thomas said at the meeting.
The school committee did not accept his effort to return, voting at the same meeting to place him on paid administrative leave.
“A common theme in each of the reviews of the Fiscal Year 2023 deficit was that decisions were made with ‘the best
interest of students,’ in mind. Ultimately, what’s best for students is a stable, well-run, and fiscally responsible school district that can provide a sustainable, high-quality education to Brockton’s children. As we work to rebuild and strengthen the foundation of our partnership with the City of Brockton, I am hopeful that those in the city government who were similarly identified as active contributors to this crisis will soon take accountability for their roles in it as well," wrote School Committee Vice Chair Tony Rodrigues in a statement.
Priya Tahiliani, who has been serving as interim superintendent, said work is underway to correct the budget process going forward.
“The findings in the reports will likewise provide an essential roadmap for me as I do the work of thoughtfully evaluating how we move forward from a personnel perspective," Tahiliani wrote.
Thomas' contract was originally set to expire at the end of the 2026-2027 school year.
In a press conference Tuesday, Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan said some of the guidance in the report has already been taken as they work to correct the financial path of the school department in the future. He also recommended merging the school district's financial operations with that of the city.
