Superintendent Doug White and Mattapoisett Town Administrator Mike Gagne are at odds on an issue involving money stolen from an Old Rochester Regional bank account in 2011.

At the Tuesday, March 11, Selectmen meeting, Gagne said a resident told him that a large sum of money was taken from an ORR account. Gagne called White to inquire about the rumor. He says White told him $600,000 was stolen from the school district.

“I know what I heard. There is not any possibility that I misheard the amount,” said Gagne.

White, on the other hand, says that number was only $134,000.

Furthermore, the superintendent said information about the cyber attack should never have been released to the public.

Gagne and White do have one number the same: the $34,000 that is still outstanding.

“Doug explained to me that, at the time, the FBI and Attorney General’s office was notified of the breach,” Gagne said at the meeting. “The FBI came in and conducted an extensive investigation.”

Mattapoisett Selectman Paul Silva said he was disappointed that the incident wasn’t shared with town officials.

“I find it very disturbing,” said Silva. “This is taxpayers money.”

He did acknowledge that the School Committee has jurisdiction.

Besides  complaining that Gagne got the amount incorrect, White said that his conversation with Gagne was between two administrators and not meant to be shared.

When asked why the information was not given to town officials, White said, “I work for the School Committee. I notified my employer of the situation.”

Marion Selectmen Chair Jody Dickerson agreed that technically it was a school committee issue.

“However, it would be nice to know what's going on when people come to us and ask us,” Dickerson said.

White added that the topic was part of an executive session, which by law is not to be disclosed.

He also said the FBI investigation is still pending, and he is not at liberty to share information at present.

The superintendent did confirm that the money was not stolen by anyone in the school district.

“We weren’t the only ones hit,” said White. He indicated that a number of institutions, not specifically schools, also had their accounts hacked.

ORR has not had any other account breaches.

“We worked with the banks and the FBI to create a very safe situation for all accounts in the district,” White explained.

No meeting between tri-town Selectmen and the ORR School Committee has been planned, though further discussion is likely.

Gagne said the Mattapoisett Selectmen have not ruled out speaking with the FBI.