The Greensboro News & Record published an editorial Sept. 17 on fraud in the federal free and reduced-lunch program. The state told some Charlotte-area leaders recently that a more extensive audit of F&R lunch participants would result in the school district losing its school lunch subsidy.
From the editorial:
Some board members had a valid reason for wanting the audit. The district already had conducted a specialized audit of families with reported incomes close to the eligibility cutoffs, which is required annually by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It couldn?t verify the eligibility of 60 percent of those audited. Naturally, with such a large percentage unable to be verified, some board members wanted to expand the investigation.
But finally they put the kibosh on it because of fear it would jeopardize the district?s lunch funds. The superintendent?s staff had gathered contradictory information about whether the federal government would allow such an audit. The ax came down when a state official in charge of doling out the funds said the district wouldn?t get them if it went against what the feds wanted.
This red-tape mess resembles the one Alamance County became tangled up in earlier this summer when a fraud investigation there involving federal money turned up complex and contradictory federal regulations.
Congressional candidates, are you listening? The red tape has got to be unraveled. Local governments want to spend federal money responsibly. Can you take action to help them?
