Nebraska school used $125,000 in child nutrition funds for scoreboards, auditor says

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – State Auditor Mike Foley on Thursday said Chase County Schools in Imperial used nearly $125,000 in child nutrition funds to buy two video scoreboards for the gymnasium.

Foley said the total cost of the scoreboards was $169,695, with about 75% improperly covered by school lunch money.

He said the Nebraska Department of Education suggested that the district use its surplus school lunch money to raise the quality of food offerings.

The audit team said the school board told the department that the money would be used for a digital menu. That would have cost only about $1,000.

When the department was asked if it would have approved what was actually purchased, it said “absolutely not,” according to the auditor’s office.

In a letter to the audit team, the board justified the purchase by saying the scoreboard would show the lunch menu as students passed through the gym on their way to eat.

Foley said students already have access to the school menu online.

He also said students make their lunch selections early in the day, even before they walk through the gym.

“All in all, the school district acted improperly in this expenditure and used slight-of-hand tactics with the NDE to make an extravagant expenditure on gymnasium equipment using federal child nutrition dollars,” the auditor said.