School finance staff told the Lowell Public Schools finance subcommittee that they presented a full slate of outstanding prior‑year expenditures to the City of Lowell council and that the council voted to approve most payments but pulled three items for further review.

Dr. Pinto said she presented the outstanding bills to the city council and supplied additional documentation beyond what appeared in the packet. "I took the memo that I had provided to school committee, and I wanted to share that with city council," Dr. Pinto said, adding that she withdrew a few items after further vendor validation.

What the council decided: According to Dr. Pinto, councilors voted to approve the remaining items to be paid, but Councilor Gitscheer asked the city solicitor to sign a written opinion on three items before payment. The items pulled included two transportation invoices and one item tied to the Vermont Permanency Initiative.

Finances and timing: Dr. Pinto told the subcommittee the district returned approximately $1,162,000 of unspent dollars (free cash) to the city at the end of last fiscal year and asked to use that free cash to pay validated prior‑year bills. She also said there remain roughly $750,000 in obligations under investigation. To reduce carryover, staff set an internal target to have year funds obligated and encumbered by April 15.

Process improvements noted: Dr. Pinto told the council and subcommittee about process and control changes made in recent months, including manager budget meetings, trainings, and more frequent reporting. She said the district is validating bills and pushing back on vendors when documentation is missing.

Ending: The council's approval moves most prior‑year invoices toward payment; three items were held for a written solicitor opinion and three pulled items will be revisited when that documentation is provided.