Hanover
The charges were made in connection with more than a dozen trips related to professional development or graduate school programs.
The Hanover School District hired Concord-based Plodzik & Sanderson to examine charges Laramie made to his corporate American Express card over a three-year stint ending this February. The report on the credit card charges was sent to the Hanover School Board ahead of tonight’s meeting.
Hanover School Superintendent Frank Bass said at least one of the trips Laramie attended was authorized, but said “a lot” of what Laramie charged to the card wasn’t. Bass said he couldn’t comment on whether all of the trips were approved by him or another school official, citing pending litigation.
“The rationale and purpose behind what the monies were intended to be used for did not match up to what occurred,” Bass said.
The audit report did not itemize expenses Laramie made that were legitimately part of his professional development travel, but flagged charges “which management of the Hanover School District has identified as unapproved activities.”
Several messages left for Laramie’s attorney, James Bianco, weren’t returned. Attempts to reach Laramie were unsuccessful.
The school district contends the spending in question was connected to 14 professional development trips and two graduate programs attended by Laramie.
Laramie was granted permission to attend a conference of the National Association of Elementary School Principals in Long Beach, Calif., in summer 2015, and some expenses he submitted were approved, Bass said.
But the report flagged $3,400 in unapproved charges Laramie made on that trip, saying they were “deemed personal and not district related.”
According to the NAESP website, the conference ran from June 30 to July 2, with some principals arriving on June 29 for a pre-conference day.
Laramie, however, charged hotel expenses in Long Beach beginning on June 24, according to the audit report.
Throughout that week, he also charged hotel expenses from San Diego, including a July 1 transaction for $606, the report said. San Diego is about 2 hours south of Long Beach.
The school district allotted Laramie $270 for rental car charges related to that California trip. The report, however, found that Laramie left his rental car in long-term parking for a “duration of the trip,” resulting in “excess charges.”
Of the roughly $34,000 in questionable charges Laramie made between February 2013 and February 2016, about $25,800 went toward food, lodging and other miscellaneous expenses.
He spent an additional $8,000 on unapproved mileage expenses, the report states and the district alleges.
The charges in question include $740 at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Manhattan, $552 at the Hotel Viking in Newport, R.I., and $846 at Hilton Hotels in New York, according to the report.
Other charges that were flagged include $924 to New England College in Henniker, N.H., and $138 to the Farmer’s Table, a cafe in Grantham.
In addition to seeking reimbursement from Laramie for all of the alleged unauthorized purchases, the report indicates the school district seeks reimbursement for 67 work days related to “unapproved or disallowed activity.”
“The 67 days are days that we were able to determine were not being used in the manner that they were purported to be used,” Bass said.
All principals and other SAU administrators are given credit cards, Bass said.
“Having a credit card makes it easier in terms of purchasing professional development opportunities,” Bass said.
Since the alleged wrongdoing by Laramie, the process for administrators who seek to attended professional development trips or conferences has changed.
An individual used to go the superintendent or another top official for verbal confirmation to attend.
Now, an individual must bring verification of a conference and have a top official sign off on the trip.
“We now put into place a series of practices and protocols with clear lines of documentation,” Bass said.
The audit report cost the district $4,400, an amount that could increase if additional work is needed, according to the author of the report.
Bass said he hopes the district can find an alternative way to pay for the report, instead of using taxpayer money.
The School Board at tonight’s meeting had been scheduled to appoint a new Ray School principal, but Bass said district officials still have some “due diligence” to do before naming a candidate.
The district is “pursuing” John Hansen, the current principal of Sandwich Central School in Sandwich, N.H., Bass said, noting that it wasn’t yet clear when the district will name a new principal.
The audit report is slated to be discussed at the Hanover School Board’s meeting tonight at 7 p.m. in the Ray School’s music room.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.