About two weeks after an audit found millions of dollars in questionable spending by the Los Angeles Unified School District’s food services program, the district Monday announced the resignation of the program’s director.
David Binkle’s resignation was effective Friday, according to the district. He joined the district as deputy director of food services in 2008 and became food services director in 2012, with a salary of $152,000 a year.
Last month, however, the district’s Office of Inspector General released an audit in which Binkle figured prominently. The audit found that Binkle had a cozy relationship with contractors, some of whom paid for him to stay at hotels and to fly to a conference in exchange for more lucrative contracts with the district.
According to the district, Binkle also failed to report his ownership of a food-based consulting business.
Binkle has been on administrative leave since Dec. 4.
District officials said they have revamped the food-procurement process and scraped a vendor-funded marketing program.
— City News Service