As the state budget crisis really began to bear down on school districts across the state, Gov. Jerry Brown eased the long-held, airtight restrictions associated with categorical funding, or the money that goes to districts by the state earmarked for specific programs and services.
The movement of categorical funding to defray hits to school districts’ general funds has been a point of contention for years, with those for and against in equal and vocal numbers.
Most agree, though, that when it comes to the free and reduced-price lunch and meal programs, that pot of mostly federal and some state funding is sacred, meant to feed hungry children in often impoverished situations.
That’s why it is particularly scandalous to see some of the biggest districts in the state embroiled in controversy over potentially misusing $170 million. That is the amount the state is ordering eight districts including Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Ana and San Francisco to pay back to federal food programs.
We imagine that money is pretty tempting, often coming in large amounts, especially for local districts like ours where so many of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Imperial County Office of Education data show 72 percent of the students in the Imperial Valley benefit from the meals programs.
Fortunately, Imperial County is not among that list, and that could very well be because educators, administrators and food workers know the need is so great here that to move around the money, even with the intention of paying it back, would really be to take the food from local students’ mouths.
That’s not to say the offending districts did any of this with malfeasance in mind. In many cases there seems to be an effort to do what districts thought were food-service-related work that, in fact, was not, including repair work to facilities. And in more than a few cases it was loans to offset large loses in state funding in other places.
But the uses were clearly wrong, and many of the discrepancies were not found through audits and examinations, but through whistleblowers who believed the money was for the children.
That is the positive in this story. Employees within many of these districts upheld their promise to the students and the community and put their necks on the line to make it better.
Any misuse of educational funds is always a slimy move, just because it deals with services that benefit children. When it’s food and legitimate related expenses, that’s even worse.
THE ISSUE:
State orders districts to pay back $170 million.
WE SAY:
Imperial County not on that list, and our need for the money is great.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
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