Unpaid Cafeteria Debt and Possibly More Employee Fraud Plague Columbus City Schools

Improprieties relating to public school lunch programs in Columbus, Ohio, made headlines earlier this summer. Two building principals found themselves in hot water after falsifying federal lunch program forms to enroll their own children in the program designed to aid low-income students. After an internal audit, the district discovered it was owed $945,537 in unpaid student lunch fees. The financial inspection also unearthed possibly more instances of district employees defrauding the federal free and reduce lunch program.

Ohio's public sector is now tightening its belt just like the private sector and every penny saved or recouped will make a difference in the upcoming school year. District Auditor Carolyn Smith recommends the money owed from students lunches served but not paid for during the last two years be turned over to a collection agency. Typically school districts hold grade cards until all fees are paid, but unfortunately the desire to view a child's academic progress is just not enough of a motivating factor to repay the district for workbooks and cafeteria fees. The handy online grade checking services offered on most Ohio school websites essentially erase the need for parents to hold a paper report in their hands to gauge their child's educational abilities.

The Columbus City School Board of Education must vote on the collection agency recovery measure in the next 14 days for it to be instituted during the upcoming school year. The probe launched by Carolyn Smith began in June to determine the depth of the possible criminal fraud committed by two building administrators. Details about "red flags" Smith discovered and how many district employees are possibly defrauding the taxpayers will not be released until the audit is completed.

Collection efforts would also include a new district policy relating to cafeteria charges. If approved, the new plan will restrict the number of unpaid cafeteria food charges to five before the school takes action to collect the debt. Parents who neglect to pay the five charges will have to send their children to school with a packed lunch.

The district elementary schools will offer a less expensive yet healthy sack lunch to students who owe more than five charges, while middle school students will be turned down for a school meal entirely. Parents will receive an automated phone call when a lunch is charged each day until the debt is paid.

The student lunch debt owed to the district for the last two years includes $553,597 from students who pay full price for meals. Parents who neglect to turn in the free or reduced lunch enrollment forms comprise the rest of the debt. School districts do not get reimbursed when students charge cafeteria meals for weeks or even months before their parents take the five minutes necessary to complete the aid forms.

Columbus School Board member Mike Wiles favors a straight forward, "get tough" approach to the mounting debt problem. Wiles suggests posting a list of the parents who owe cafeteria debt on front door of the school. Class lists and other important notices are also typically posted at the school entrance so the information is both easily accessible and highly visible.

Board members are not heartless, they just need to reclaim the funds to further academic and food services within the district. School board members also suggested offering a discount on the debt owed to parents who qualified for reduced or free meals if they completed the enrollment forms on time this school year. The pragmatic offer at least reclaims a portion of the debt and prevents more unpaid meals during the new school year.