Audit of HISD food programs uncovers numerous problems
Here's some completely unsurprising news out of HISD:
Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra ordered HISD's "breakfast in the classroom" program suspended indefinitely after a state review found inadequate procedures for accounting for the number of meals served.
Officials from the Texas Department of Agriculture visited six HISD schools last month that serve breakfast in the classroom and found that at five of the schools, teachers and food service staff were not properly accounting for the number of meals received and eaten.
Who would have thought that program might have some problems with it?
"This is a very well-intentioned program that needs stricter controls and better management in each classroom in which it is served," said Dr. Saavedra. "Thousands of children have eaten good meals in the classroom because of this program, and that is important. But the meals must be accounted for appropriately, and we must ensure it does not disrupt learning."
I am not sure why it is so important for students to eat breakfast at their desks, as Saavedra says, instead of the school cafeteria.
The state officials found record-keeping problems in eight of the 22 school lunch programs visited. The state officials said, however, the school meal application process at HISD was very good with few errors.
Now that's funny (sort of). The application process was practically error-free, but the program implementation was error-filled. HISD has its priorities straight -- get the money first and worry about the details...well, they don't worry about the details so much.
State officials found problems at seven of eight after-school snack programs reviewed, and said they have serious concerns about those programs. In some of the after-school snack programs, the officials said snacks were claimed but not served to children.
Dr. Saavedra ordered an immediate review of the snack program and said the problems will be fixed.
After-school snack program??? That means the parents of most HISD students are responsible for feeding their children -- dinner!
HISD will improve training and other procedures during the suspension period. Dr. Saavedra said the breakfast in the classroom program will be suspended beginning Feb. 14, and will only be reinstated at a school when training and procedures have been improved, and only if the school's shared decision making committee wants the program reinstated.
So it's not an immediate halt. I suppose HISD needs time to send a notice home, informing parents that children will have to eat breakfast in the school cafeteria, instead of at their desks.
UPDATE (02-05-2005): The Chronicle's Jason Spencer has a story on this with some more information:
The Philadelphia-based Aramark Corp. took over HISD's food services operation in 1997 and turned the money-losing endeavor into a profit maker. HISD billed the federal government nearly $69 million in meal reimbursements last school year, compared with less than $46 million in 2000. HISD paid Aramark $4.75 million last year.
[snip]
"They were not properly accounting for the number of meals received and eaten," said Beverly Boyd, a Department of Agriculture spokeswoman. Boyd said she was unaware of similar findings at any other Texas school district since the department began conducting the reviews in August 2003. It could be several weeks before a final report is written, she said.
[snip]
The Houston Independent School District could be forced to repay the federal government for any meal reimbursements that were improperly charged, Boyd said.
The breakfast program's suspension came as vindication for Orell Fitzsimmons, local field director for the Service Employees International Union. He has been accusing Aramark of overbilling the government for more than a year. Fitzsimmons predicted the investigators would find major problems with the breakfast program before they arrived on Jan. 24.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/04/05 06:15 PM | Print |
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