Greenville Central School DistrictLocal Government

Criteria: Children from households with incomes at or below 130 percent of the Federal poverty level are eligible to receive meals or milk free under the School Nutrition Programs. Children from households with incomes above 130 percent but at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level are eligible to receive reduced price meals. Persons from households with incomes exceeding 185 percent of the poverty level pay the full price (7 CFR sections 245.2, 245.3, and 245.6; section 9(b)(1) of the NSLA (42 USC 1758 (b)(1)); sections 3(a)(6) and 4(e) of the CNA (42 USC 1772(a)(6) and 1773(e))). Condition, Context and Effect: We haphazardly sampled 40 students receiving benefits under the Child Nutrition Cluster programs. We noted that one student was receiving free lunch benefits, but should have received reduced lunch benefits. In this instance, income was incorrectly calculated when determining eligibility, causing an incorrect certification. Known and likely questioned costs were determined not to be material or exceed $25,000. The sampling methodology used was not statistically valid. Cause: Adequate oversight of the eligibility determination process was not in place in order to identify mistakes in determining eligibility. Recommendation: We recommend that the School District institute additional procedures to ensure that eligibility determinations are made correctly. We also recommend that the School District ensures that the household number and income be compared to the National Income Eligibility Guidelines to calculate whether the student qualifies for free or reduced lunch. View of Responsible Officials: As an additional level of control, the Treasurer will compare an annual eligibility report to the student applications.