During these difficult economic times, it’s no surprise that school districts have experienced a surge in the number of free and reduced priced meals it serves. As any food service director will tell you, however, balancing their budget on the subsidies the federal government provides is a tricky endeavor.

Though, as money columnist Charles Trainor writes, it gets even trickier if tight controls and oversight aren’t practiced in school food service departments. For more advice on how to achieve that, read Trainor’s latest installment, now available online for a limited time.