School District’s Meal Counts Being Audited

Auditors from the state Department of Education arrived in Compton Tuesday to determine if the city’s school district inflated the number of meals it serves to low-income children, which would increase the amount of federal and state money it receives.

The audit--a rare occurrence, according to state education officials--was ordered after federal and state inspectors visited the district and said they believed that some children were being counted three and four times. They also said that enrollment figures in the food service program did not match classroom enrollment.

Compton Unified School District officials insist that their meal counts and enrollment figures are accurate. The inspectors, they say, failed to accurately access information the district had in its computer files. If the auditors find that the meal count is inflated, the district will have to return some of the government money.