As an addendum to today’s CJ Online story, here are a few more quotes from board of education members in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as they debated whether to conduct an audit of the free and reduced-lunch program:
Trent Merchant: “What concerns me ultimately is that we?re looking at a $1.2 billion budget, and we have a framework, a paradigm, for funding that is based on [the percentage of free and reduced-lunch students], and we?re saying we think it?s right, and our gut feeling tells us it?s right, and we want to believe that it?s right, but we have no way of knowing.”
Vilma Leake: “We never question big business when they steal from the federal government … So don’t talk about this school system and those of us who sit on this board unless you include big businesses that rob this country. Our families could not dare even touch a fifth of what they [big business] take from the federal government. When you talk about poor children who need food, and we?re squabbling over that, let’s go in that direction so that we can talk about how big business robs the poor.”
Larry Gauvreau: “Regardless of the educational policy issue of labeling and what we do as a government-benefit based upon what I would say is often a fraudulent label, the school district owes it to the taxpayers, and I think this town, to monitor this better. I don?t think there is any doubt in anyone?s mind, even though we?re pussyfooting around, that there are thousands of students here that probably are not entitled to this government benefit.”
George Dunlap: “I don?t think there is one person who sits around this dais who supports fraud of any kind. However, to my knowledge, it has never been determined that one individual in this community has committed fraud. Not one … So I, too, am tired of the witch-hunt. Now, if you have fraud, bring it forth and we?ll deal with it. But until such time that there is fraud in the system, then it?s time that we move on and get on about the business of the board of education.”