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No such thing as a free lunch?

October 3, 2011

Chris Adams

By DANIEL BLACKBURN

Children of a San Luis Obispo County school district superintendent were signed up for a federal free lunch program, causing some to wonder if school officials increase federal funding by routinely inflating estimates of poverty-level student numbers on program applications.

Chris Adams, superintendent of Coast Unified School District, and his wife make more than $26,000 a month. Nevertheless, Julie Adams filled out an application for their children to receive free lunches even though the program is only open to families showing income of 130 percent or more below the poverty line.

Chris Adams said an explanation “was simple” but he declined to discuss the application, noting his board of trustees has launched an investigation into what he called “a federal crime,” asserting the form “has been stolen from the district.” He said the idea that his school-age children would be receiving free or reduced lunches was “offensive, ridiculous.”

“I would love to give you an explanation but the problem is, there is an investigation going on,” Adams said. “The school board instigated it.”

Nevertheless, County Superintendent of Schools Julian Crocker said he believes a “proxy” search for impoverished students is the reason Adams’ wife would fill out a lunch form.

“It is possible that the Adams’ filling that form out is just within that context,” Crocker said. “That’s probably the reason he would fill that out — as would other parents who clearly don’t qualify for the free and reduced lunches — and those forms would most likely just be put aside (rejected). But the district does receive a certain amount of money because of poverty. I don’t think it is subterfuge.”

Adams scoffed at Crocker’s comments: “Julian doesn’t even have a tenth of the information… so anything he said was just his opinion. The problem is that information is confidential.”

Crocker, too, wondered about the information’s source: “I am concerned about how this information came to you,” he said. “That this information would even get out because it’s supposed to be confidential.”

Adams said that in time the story of his children’s acceptance into the program would be explained.

“What I want is for the investigation to be completed, and once it is completed, you will get your information” Adams said. “But I’m not going to get in the middle of this nonsense. I’m really not losing any sleep over it. I’ll tell you everything there is to tell.

“I have nothing to hide. This is very irritating to me.”

Schools with the required number of children in the free lunch program receive state and federal Title I funds that can mean more than a $100,000 per school, according to the United States Department of Education website. The program provides supplemental funds to school districts with the highest student concentrations of poverty to help them meet school educational goals.

After CalCoastNews acquired a copy of Adam’s federal application, school officials launched a probe to determine how that document was obtained.

Roman Munoz, of the Sacramento law firm of Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann and Girard, was retained to investigate the source of the document’s “leak;” his scope has now been widened by the board to determine if there has been abuse of the free lunch program.

The free-lunch program is administered under Title 1, an element of the No Child Left Behind Act, Crocker said. Qualified families “sometimes do not apply for whatever reason, so the school districts over the years have made a real effort — and not just Coast Unified — to have all families regardless of income fill out that form.”

There is nothing new in this, Crocker asserted.

“My understanding from districts is that it is fairly standard practice to ask all parents to fill out that form, understanding that many parents don’t exactly qualify for free and reduced,” he said. “But over the years, what has happened is, parents who don’t want to be identified for whatever reason, may not want to fill out the forms.

“But what they don’t understand is that the district uses that information for other things, other than free and reduced lunches. So it’s just easier to just ask everyone to fill them out. That way, over the years districts have been able to get that information from parents, and it does present a way for districts to get additional federal money.”


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It seems to me that Adams isn’t trying to scam free lunch for his kids, but must be trying to scam the federal government into getting more money for his schools. In addition to investigating Adams, my guess is that this is going on all over…time to look at other schools/districts if they haven’t already covered their tracks as a result of this.


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My thoughts exactly, jackbnimble. It’s a funding/numbers game, and no one minds too much if you’re feeding people. I wish we had more information on the Cambria schools. That Beardwood reporter who used to write for the Sun-Bulletin would be able to get more stats on the economic levels of the student population up there….


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The form that is on this site is NOT the one that our district sends home on the first day of school. The packet is NOT huge and if it were filled out by “mistake” if anything it would have emergency phone numbers on it. That is what is required the most on the forms from the beginning of the year.


There is also a cover page on the free/reduced lunch form that states it is OPTIONAL. The district does not need to know my social security number or my wages in order for my kid to get a public education. If I am asking for something (ie: free lunch), then you get to know my info.


Hopefully, the investigation will continue and also look into the nepotism exsists at CUSD as well. I am also hopeful that the school board wakes up and some of their blind faith in Mr. Adams is shaken and they begin to question things.


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Did you go to the USDA website’s web page for the school lunch program? That’s where I found the form.


Link to National School Lunch Program: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/lunch/


Link to application packet: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Translations/English/E-SchoolMealApp.pdf


Quoting page 7 of the packet, the actual application:


“PART 5. SIGNATURE AND LAST FOUR DIGITS OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (ADULT MUST SIGN) An adult household member must sign the application. If Part 4 is completed, the adult signing the form also must list the last four digits of his or her Social Security Number or mark the “I do not have a Social Security Number” box. (See Statement on the back of this page.) I certify (promise) that all information on this application is true and that all income is reported. I understand that the school will get Federal funds based on the information I give. I understand that school officials may verify (check) the information. I understand that if I purposely give false information, my children may lose meal benefits, and I may be prosecuted.

Sign here: _________________________________________

Print name: _______________________________________

Date:_____________________________________________

Address:__________________________________________

Phone Number: ____________________________________

City:_____________________________________________

State: __________Zip Code:________

Last four digits of Social Security Number: * * * – * * – ___ ___ ___ ___ /  I do not have a Social Security Number“


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What was that last line; “and I may be prosecuted” ! Prosecute the greedy bastard already!!


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Someone had better look up the definition of “nepotism”… no one has yet been forced to hire anyone they didn’t want nor that wasn’t qualified…. get your facts straight, please


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“Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives or friends regardless of merit.”

The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.


Nothing about “forced” in that definition, or any of the others I checked.


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Frankly, my faith would only be shaken by the paranoid people obviously starting to populate our fair town…


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Has anyone pounced on the concept that ‘Here we go again’, hiring out of towners (at huge expense) to do contracting here. I would love to see how Crocker et all will defend that decision. And the one seeking to find and punish the messenger over investigating the ‘crime’. I used to think Julian Crocker was a good guy, my faith has been challenged.


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It looks like Mr. Adams better be updating his resume. Maybe his next employer won’t read Cal Coast News and since other publications in the county don’t do investigative reporting, he may find another job. But we have had enough. And as far as Dr. Crocker goes…somebody ought to look into his responsibility in this case. I think I hear the Grand Jury getting ready to look at this one.


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PART 5. SIGNATURE AND LAST FOUR DIGITS OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (ADULT MUST SIGN)


An adult household member must sign the application. If Part 4 is completed, the adult signing the form also must list the last four digits of his or her Social Security Number or mark the “I do not have a Social Security Number” box. (See Statement on the back of this page.)


I certify (promise) that all information on this application is true and that all income is reported. I understand that the school will get Federal funds based on the information I give. I understand that school officials may verify (check) the information. I understand that if I purposely give false

information, my children may lose meal benefits, and I may be prosecuted.


Sign here: ___________________________________________________________________


Print name: _________________________________________________________________


Date:_________________________________________________________________________


Address:_____________________________________________________________________


Phone Number: _____________________________________________________________


City:__________________________________________________________________________


State: ____________________________ Zip Code:_______________________________


Last four digits of Social Security Number: * * * – * * – ___ ___ ___ ___  I do not have a Social Security Number


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This is not the form CUSD sends home.


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Gee.


Another “I was running my own scam and got caught but was going to report the real perps.” Hypocrites please unite and stand tall.


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As usual, there are a couple of very predictable responses being flushed out here; some of you are bitching about “government employees” and their abusing the system- the person in this article is not “just” a government employee, he is a person in a very high position, a superintendent in fact, not a rank and file office worker or line employee. His abuse of the system is not excusable, but please drop the mantra that this is a problem of “government employees”, when it is in fact a person in a management or supervisory role who has apparently gamed the system to his own benefit as well as apparently somewhat helping the district he works for. His wife is also in a very high position as well, so please take note of that.

The other point I want to make is how this report highlights how a person in an administrative role is abusing his position to attempt to enhance the financing that the federal government doles out for very specific purposes. As I have railed against for very long, those that work in the upper layers of school district administrations seem to feel that they are somehow exempt from the reality that most of us live in concerning how our tax monies are spent. I hope that there is an investigation into the actions of this individual and if malfeasance is found, he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.


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The cops play this game all day long with grants for programs like “safe streets.”


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If you ever saw the movie “The Big Easy,” in the movie the New Orleans police force had a “Widows and Orphans Fund.”


I just loved that name, especially since it was for money collected (under the table) from merchants for protection or whatever, and some of the places they collected from were strip joints.


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QUOTING BOB FROM ST.LOUIS: “As usual, there are a couple of very predictable responses being flushed out here…”


Pffffffffffffffffffff ! to your bitchy holier-than-thou response.


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HUH???? Mary, did you misconstrue Bob’s post? If not, what is it that you object to ? I thought he made some excellent points.


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Mea culpa. Working on two projects at once is usually a bad idea, especially in the morning.


And, for Hotdog, mea culpa, as well. The other project I am working on is research on the St. Louis WWT situation.


Carry on.


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Mary, had your meds today? Bob is not from St. Louis. Where are you from? And as a matter of fact Bob is right on, maybe you should re-read his post. And in fact Bob is always right on…


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Sorry, Bob. Got my wires crossed and I misread your post.


I agree with your points 100%, especially the part about the investigation. No matter how you look at this situation, it just does not add up.


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Hmmm. Interesting they are using Sacramento law firm Kronick, Moskovitz. This is the same firm used by the Templeton Community Services District to set up a very questionable riparian water “trustee” agreement that has allowed the county to grant developers the ability to subdivide riparian parcels and still maintain water rights. It doesn’t pass the smell test and has been responsible for some significant high-density building over the past decade. What’s the SLO connection to this Sacto firm? Would love to see Karen and Dan look at this one. I used to think I was a bit paranoid about this county. But my suspicions keep proving to be based in reality…


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Surprised they didn’t use the Seitz brothers.


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Our the firm the three Stooges used…Dewy Cheatum and Howe


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It is very ironic I feel, that the crusader for random drug testing, with all it’s unconstitutional ramifications, as well as destruction of personal liberties, is now laid bare for all to see. The emperor has no clothes.

Why else would one attempt to deflect the attention of the true crime of fraud? The person who “leaked” the vital information is a hero. All these overpaid jackasses, these government leeches, should be forced to make a living in the private sector. Only then will they begin to understand humility. I feel a giant slice of humble pie being served to the superintendent just around the corner.


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