Sun Sentinel Broward Edition

Ovens, freezers and food carts go missing in Broward schools

- By Scott Travis

From industrial ovens to freezers to serving lines, restaurant equipment has been disappeari­ng from Broward schools.

An audit approved by the School Board on Tuesday identified about $286,000 in missing equipment from 46 schools and food service locations. District officials say in some cases items may have been stolen; in others they were disposed of without school officials keeping proper documentat­ion.

Blanche Ely High in Pompano Beach had the most missing, with 10 pieces of equipment valued at $35,000. This includes three mobile dispensing cabinets, five warming cabinets and $8,200 in unspecifie­d culinary items.

Charles Flanagan High in Pembroke Pines was missing $17,000 worth of equipment, including a $9,000 serving line, a two-door freezer and a baker’s table. Everglades High in Miramar lost a $10,600 gas oven and two food carts.

Other missing equipment includes a $3,400 robot coupe, or combinatio­n industrial food processor and mixer, from Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes; an $8,300 steam cooker from North Fork Elementary in Fort Lauderdale; and a $2,500 ice cream dispenser from Park Springs Elementary in Coral Springs.

Most of the unaccounte­d items were fully depreciate­d “and many of the items date back to the 1990s,” said a statement from the office of chief communicat­ions officer Kathy Koch. The items from Blanche Ely are from 2005, the statement said.

The School Board didn’t discuss the issue Tuesday before approving the audit. At an Audit Commit

tee meeting March 11, district administra­tor Maurice Woods said much of the problem is the district uses a manual system for inventory rather than an electronic one.

“It’s a paper-based system, and I think that alone lends itself to human error, inconsiste­ncies and a lack of accountabi­lity,” said Woods, who resigned from the district this month to take a new job.

Audit Committee member Mary Fertig was astonished at Woods’ answer.

“That response concerns me more than anything in this audit,” she said at the meeting. “We’re in 2021, and we’re the sixth-largest school district in the country and we have a paper-based system?”

District officials said they are working on automating the inventory. Auditors also said they should establish “preventati­ve internal controls to safeguard and track all tangible personal property and prevent missing assets in the future.”

Auditors also said the district should make “every effort” to locate missing items.

“During the course of the audit field work, management immediatel­y implemente­d corrective measures,” the statement from Koch’s office said. “The chief auditor intends to commence another audit of the Food and Nutrition Services Department in July or August.”

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