Committee head: MN education dept. "did not follow laws" in Feeding Our Future fraud
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Senate Education Committee looking into alleged fraud by an organization claiming to feed hungry kids says it believes the Department of Education did not follow state and federal laws.
These are the initial findings following three hearings looking into Feeding Our Future.
In January, FBI agents served search warrants on a number of locations across the Twin Cities. Feeding Our Future was suspected of misusing $48 million of federal and state child nutrition funds.
In a statement, committee chair Roger Chamberlain (R-Lino Lakes) said, "We need a full audit of this program to determine the total scope of the problem. ... Tens of millions of taxpayer dollars may be involved in this fraud, and the department simply cannot address the problem or recognize their mistakes."
Minnesota's Department of Education issued its own statement Monday:
"MDE moved quickly and repeatedly raised the issue to federal authorities until we were able to find someone who would take the troubling spending as seriously as we were."
The director of communications from the education department, Kevin Burns, also said the initial findings are simply a report, not the final findings of the full committee.
Sen. Chuck Wiger (DFL-Maplewood), the lead on the Senate Education Finance and Policy Committee, said the report from Chamberlain was partisan in nature.
"The Senate DFL has always fully supported the ongoing federal investigation as well as the expected nonpartisan legislative auditor investigation that will provide thorough answers to some of these important questions," Wiger said. "It's unfortunate that Republicans released a one-sided, partisan press release instead of being willing to work with all members of the committee to get to the bottom of this important topic."
