Peabody Disney trip refunds on tap

PEABODY – The ride is finally over. Peabody Veterans Memorial High School Band students who attended the 2005 Disney field trip will officially be refunded as soon as next week, said Superintendent Milton Burnett Tuesday night.Burnett said that all funds have been received and dispersed accordingly. A total of $18,522 was divided evenly among the 35 students who participated and were overcharged. Each student will receive a check in the amount of $529.21.There were two students, however, who did not wish to seek repayment. Their funds, totaling $1,058, will be deposited into the PVMHS Band Student Activities Account and used to benefit current members.”I would like to consider this item closed,” said Burnett after giving the School Committee what he hopes to be the “final report.”The refunds stem from the incident involving then-band director Stephen Baberadt Jr., who allegedly overcharged students for the trip and used fundraiser money to bring his family members along for free. Furious parents claimed that Baberadt owed students $530 each, after charging $800 for a trip that should have cost them only $270.The School Committee and the Peabody Police Department have both worked diligently over the years to reclaim the money that rightfully belongs to those students.School Committee member Beverly Ann Griffin Dunne has been quite involved with the repayment process from beginning to end.”It’s been such a long road,” she said, thanking everyone else who helped solve the debacle. “It’s nice to see it’s done now.”