Did You Hear … ?

The Board of Education is hiring a forensic accountant to help figure out whether the lunch ladies arrested last month for stealing nearly $500,000 in cash from cafeterias at the middle and high schools also depleted parents’ charge accounts, according to New Canaan’s highest elected official. The district is “hiring a forensic accountant, I understand, to examine the possible overcharge,” First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said during a press briefing Thursday. Noting that the district was reimbursed by an insurer, Moynihan said: “I am just a bystander, but my idea would be that the $500,000 should be used to reduce their budget next year because all of the taxpayers would benefit from that. So if they are looking for $93 million, they ought to get $500,000 less. They are going to argue that you cannot lose money out of an enterprise operation into the education side of the ledger.” It isn’t clear whether the forensic accountant has been hired yet, who it is or how much he or she is being paid—district officials could not be reached for comment.