For the Children

[metalman]

from the Wayback machine, Los Angles School District press release:

CAFETERIA FUND CASH FLOW MAY LEAVE NEEDIEST
LAUSD STUDENTS HUNGRY pdf

“School children cannot learn when they are hungry,”

The guilt-inducing images of children too hungry to learn. If only taxpayers weren’t so stingy, only another $19.5 million to feed a hungry child… because their wasn't enough money in the school meals fund.


The California Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes released a investigators report this week:

Schools that diverted student meal funds pdf

Well, auditors have determined there wasn't money in the school meal fund because LAUSD transfered the money to other accounts and bought other items such as lawn sprinklers for the lawn around the district’s television station. The lawn look nice.

In the biggest case, state officials identified more than $158 million in misappropriations and unallowable charges that Los Angeles Unified School District drained from its cafeteria fund over a six-year span.

"for the children"

 

[faethor]

Having worked in private and public sectors in many ways private is easier. In public I have all the regulations of private plus additional. Speaking from experience the auditors find this stuff fairly quickly and the leadership is often fired for gross mismanagement.

 

[metalman]

Speaking from experience the auditors find this stuff fairly quickly and the leadership is often fired for gross mismanagement.

The cases mentioned in the report may only represent a fraction of misappropriated meal money in California because the state doesn't have the resources to audit how all 3,000 school districts spend their cafeteria funds. The 8 investigations were prompted by whistle blowers.

The US Department of Agriculture provides more than $2 billion a year in school meal subsides to California. The state of California contributes an additional $145 million as its share. By federal law the state is required to monitor cafeteria funds to insure funds are spent in compliance with the law.