School board angered by NL council

New London - In a discussion Thursday about a joint session of the Board of Education and City Council held earlier in the week, some board members expressed severe reservations about continuing the meetings.

"I'm tired of being the whipping boy," said board President Alvin Kinsall.

"It is not collaboration, it is combative," board member Louise Hanrahan said. "I felt like I was sitting in the dean's office."

This latest row in the historically rocky relationship between the council and the board is about an all-too-familiar subject - money.

According to Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Fischer, the board and school administration had a disagreement about a figure in a recently completed independent audit of city and school finances.

Fischer said the council is claiming the schools owe the city $142,368, from a fund established eight years ago for a schoolwide nutrition program.

Fischer disputes the amount and also objected to the manner in which the council distributed the audit.

"I was given a copy, but the board members were not," he said.

Fischer said the council informed the board that the audit was available on the Internet.

Kinsall, however, was more blunt.

"We were set up," he said.

Kinsall said he is "sick of being considered subordinate to the council."

"In my four years (on the board) I've worked toward a better relationship with the council," he said. "Four years later it is not any closer."

Other board members insisted that the meetings continue, citing the financial problems New London will face in the future.

"To distance ourselves would be a mistake," Bill Morse said.

Ronna Stuller also supported continued meetings with the council. "I'm in favor of plugging on," Stuller said. " We are one city."

Fischer suggested Kinsall meet with Mayor Rob Pero to establish new ground rules for the meetings.

"Perhaps an independent party could run the meeting," Fischer said.

s.chupaska@theday.com