The Rochester Selectmen and Finance Committee brought a litany of complaints and questions to the Rochester School Committee on Tuesday night.

Committee members were repeatedly questioned on a decision that brought full-day kindergarten to Rochester. In June, the committee unanimously approved the program for Rochester Memorial School.

Up to this year, the school offered half-day kindergarten for free and required $2,400 in tuition per child for the full day.

With that vote, all kindergarten students can attend free of charge, which will cost an additional $46,592 for the school year.

Selectmen and finance committee members questioned the school committee’s approval of the full day program, saying they were not informed about the change during a joint meeting in March.

“At the time we had the meeting with the finance committee, we did not believe we were going to come to the point where we could afford full-day kindergarten,” said Sharon Hartley, a long time member of the school committee. “Had we been at that point, we would have discussed it with you.”

Vice-chair Tina Rood added that the committee had discussed moving to a full day kindergarten for years and had three open, televised meetings in the spring during which the members discussed the option.

“We made it aware,” Rood said. “I mean it wasn’t a secret.”

Peter Armanetti, a member of the finance committee, did not feel town officials were properly informed.

“It’s just embarrassing from our standpoint when people ask us and we have no idea,” said Armanetti.

A major concern was how the committee would fund the kindergarten's program extra cost.

Rood said no additional funds would be needed, calling it a “living, breathing budget.”

“We work throughout the year to address student needs. Every month, we are asked to make transfers based on the needs of our students,” said Rood.

Some of the concern also stemmed from existing budget deficits in the kindergarten funds due to unpaid tuition bills, different deficit numbers from the school and town, and a lack of communication between the school officials and town officials.

“We’ve been trying to resolve this issue for months,” said Town Administrator Rich LaCamera. “You’re holding up the closing of the town books. The auditors are waiting. It has to be done now.”

Part of the issue was with a revolving account that had used tuition income from the current year to pay for the previous year’s deficit. The account was recently closed.

Town Accountant Suzanne Szyndlar added: “This year I got noticed at the end of July that they were stopping the revolving fund and there were still some outstanding receivables that could be collected. We’re really not sure how we’re going to go about covering this. It’s kind of late in the cycle to be doing this.”

Rood said the school committee would resolve the issue with the school’s Business Administrator Catherine Antonellis and could hold a meeting Monday to take an official vote.

The lack of communication between the school committee and district administrator and the town continued with several other grievances.

LaCamera raised questions about circuit breaker reimbursements, which Director of Student Services Teresa Hamm said related to extraordinary special education costs. He also questioned the finances of the summer education program held by the school.

“I have yet to see any tuition come back to the town,” said LaCamera.

LaCamera also said there were a number of outstanding invoices, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.

“The auditors are going to be all over this,” he said.

School officials said both issues would have to be reviewed.

Workman’s claims and unemployment claims, said LaCamera, were an “ongoing problem” that had not been addressed for months as well as the need to have all employees sign staff agreements with the town.

“If we don’t have these on the twenty-ninth, they’re not going to get paid,” he said. “We’re tired of chasing them. It’s a requirement according to the teacher’s contract and the staff contract.”

To this issue, Rood responded: “We will make that happen. We will talk about this and get a process set in place.”

She also said the other issues would be reviewed with the appropriate parties and a response given as soon as possible.