The following text was taken from the May 31, 2024 CCS Operations Committee Report that will be provided to the entire CCS School Board at their June 10, 2024 Meeting-Tonight!!
“Jamie Currier gave a Child Nutrition update. We have over 300 families scheduled as part of summer feeding to pick up meal kits. Our summer feeding sites are West and Shelby Middle schools. This year, over 830,000 breakfast meals were provided and 1.5 million lunches were provided.”
Folks, this short and seemingly sweet entry was noted in the much longer report that was obtained by Robert A just this morning. Feeding poor and hungry children is a noble endeavor.
However, the last time Robert A checked, DSS was sending out many $Million$ in Food Stamps to 20,000 recipients in Cleveland County. Which was then and is now a multi-million-dollar operation. This DSS run program was rampant with Food Stamp Fraud. Food Stamps being the preferred currency in the Cleveland County illegal Drug trade. A number of Food Stamp recipients were caught using Food Stamps to purchase illegal drugs. ZERO were prosecuted by the CC District Attorney. This was, and still is, a perfect crime. But that is a story for another time.
NOW, of all people, The Cleveland County Schools have found their way into feeding poor people, children (maybe), during the summer when CCS schools are NOT in session. If you add the breakfasts and lunches noted above together, you get 2,350,000 meals that were passed out at CCS Schools that were not in session for pick-up. If you consider each meal would be worth One Dollar, this is a multi-Million-dollar enterprise.
There are other questions
1.Who is paying for this program?
2.Who is preparing and distributing these meals? CCS lunchrooms or somebody else, somewhere else?
3.Why is this program run through not-in-session CCS schools? There is nothing related to educating children mentioned in this report.
4.Who, at CCS, is monitoring this program for cost compliance, ordering food and supervising the preparation, delivery and distribution? The report did not say.
5.Who, if anybody, is auditing this program for compliance with existing policy and law?
6.Are these meals actually being eaten by hungry children? There have been many previous reports and complaints that many CCS school children already refuse to eat the “cardboard tasting” meals served by CCS Schools when CCS Schools ARE in session. CCS School Board member Ronnie Grigg, not that very long ago, organized a concerned citizens group trip to the Greeneville County South Carolina School System to see for themselves how the SC schools prepared their delicious meals as well as how they managed their reporting to the various US Programs for reimbursement of costs.
Folks, Robert A has attended most all of the CCS School Board meetings for the past 14 years and has just now ever heard a word or seen an accounting for this “secret” program. And, if this is a legitimate program, why does CCS think this has to be such a secret.
Also, the crime and corruption found in the previous CCS P-Card fraud that was investigated by the NC Auditor’s Office found wrongful activity noted and criminal charges were recommended to the CC District Attorney’s Office. Who refused to prosecute if the CCS Superintendent would immediately resign. Which he did resign. Claiming he had retired, only to start work the very next day at Gardner Webb University.
Crime and corruption are common place at Cleveland County Schools that never seems to be rooted out, punished and/or prosecuted. Therefore, it is entirely likely that this CCS Summer Feeding Program, with its large cashflow and without any visible oversight would also be rife with crime and corruption.
Also, remember that the 2024 Elections are NOT OVER YET!!! Not until the December 5, 2024 General Elections are complete4 and the ballots counted. IF YOU STAY HOME like you did in the 2024 Primary Elections, it is all over. Cleveland County is broke and you, your children and grandchildren will be left paying the bills of this major debt these present Commissioners; Kevin Gordon, Ronnie Whetstine Johnny Hutchins, Deb Hardin and Doug Bridges have left you with. What you will hear from Robert A after that is “I told you so!!!”
Citizens, if you want to bring your county government’s spending and waste under control, YOU have only one option.
Robert A recommends voting in the 2024 General Elections for the Commissioner and the CCS School Board Candidates as follows:(Please vote for ALL of the Candidates listed on your ballot to provide the maximum Ballot Security!!)
Cleveland County Commissioners Candidate recommendations:
Cleveland County Commissioner Candidate recommendations:
Tony Berry
Stormy Mongiello
David Peace
Cleveland County School Board Candidate recommendations:
Kenneth A. Ledford
David Fisher
Gloria Sherman
Rod Powell
Tracy Ross
