Claremont School District hires firm for forensic audit

Residents and police urged for the audit to investigate a $5 million deficit

Apr. 2, 2026 at 6:40pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a stack of accounting ledgers and a calculator repeated in a tight grid pattern, conceptually representing the forensic audit of the Claremont School District's finances.A forensic audit aims to uncover the financial mismanagement that led to a $5 million deficit in the Claremont School District.Augusta Today

The Claremont School District has hired a Boston-based firm, CBIZ Forensic Consulting Group, to conduct a forensic audit of the district's finances from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2025. The audit was prompted by a $5 million deficit discovered last August and calls from residents and the New Hampshire State Police to investigate the district's finances.

Why it matters

The forensic audit is an effort by the school district to get to the bottom of how it ended up with a $5 million deficit, which led to the elimination of 19 new teaching positions, 20 non-teaching positions, and all funding for athletics and extracurricular activities. The audit could uncover mismanagement, improper documentation, or other issues that contributed to the deficit.

The details

The 11-page agreement with CBIZ outlines the scope of the forensic audit, which will cost an estimated $50,000 on an hourly basis. The audit will investigate the district's financial activities from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2025. The agreement states that CBIZ cannot guarantee the discovery of all assets, income, errors, irregularities, or illegal transactions, and the results of the audit cannot be relied upon to prosecute anyone. The district hopes the audit will confirm what they believe happened, including mismanagement of resources, lack of documentation, and overestimating revenue and reimbursements.

  • The School District signed the agreement with CBIZ last month.
  • The audit will cover the district's finances from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2025.
  • The district expects the $4 million loan from Claremont Saving Bank to be paid off by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

The players

CBIZ Forensic Consulting Group

A Boston-based firm hired by the Claremont School District to conduct a forensic audit of the district's finances.

Candy Crawford

The Claremont School Board Chairwoman.

Matt Angell

The SAU 6 interim Business Administrator.

William Madden

A Claremont School Board member who was skeptical that the forensic audit would result in a successful prosecution.

Chris Pratt

The former Claremont Superintendent who was placed on leave and later reached an agreement that ended his employment.

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What they’re saying

“I've had many people say that no one is going to be happy until you actually get a third-party forensic audit, somebody who knows what they are doing to do the research and make a report.”

— Candy Crawford, Claremont School Board Chairwoman

“You said the books are so bad you are not optimistic about ever finding anything or prosecuting anyone.”

— William Madden, Claremont School Board member

“We were spending the money, but not submitting to the state so they could reimburse us.”

— Chris Pratt, Former Claremont Superintendent

What’s next

There is no timeline for when CBIZ will complete its work and make a report to the Claremont School Board. The agreement allows either CBIZ or the School District to terminate the engagement at any time with written notice.

The takeaway

The forensic audit of the Claremont School District's finances is a critical step in uncovering the root causes of the $5 million deficit and determining whether there was any mismanagement, improper documentation, or other issues that led to the district's financial troubles. The audit results could have significant implications for the district's leadership and its ability to restore public trust.