Austin ISD stops cooperating with the state comptroller's spending review. The outgoing comptroller says the report will come anyway

Austin ISD has stopped taking part in a state review of its spending. State investigators did not arrive for a site visit scheduled for Monday, Nov. 9, after the district told the Texas Comptroller's office on Friday that it was suspending its participation, the Texas Tribune and Austin Current reported.

The comptroller's office began the reviews after Gov. Greg Abbott asked for audits of up to four school districts. Austin ISD was one of four districts picked in October. The reviews are meant to show whether money reaches students, classrooms and teachers rather than administration. Findings are due Dec. 31, before the Legislature meets in January.

What the district said

In a four-page letter, Austin ISD General Counsel Kenneth Walker questioned:

• whether the comptroller can require extensive employee interviews. The district cited a Texas Tax Code provision on records and accounts that it argued does not clearly cover interviews.
• why investigators asked for records the district says are unrelated to spending. The Tribune reported those included the library catalog, policies on human sexuality curriculum and instructional materials, and student enrollment and attendance counts by Social Security number or another ID.
• whether a fair review is possible on the timeline. The interview list grew from about a dozen senior administrators to more than 32 employees, identified Nov. 5.

Walker wrote that "the motivations for this investigation do not seem aligned with the statutory purpose" and that "there is no clear scope." The district said it has already turned over hundreds of pages of documents. It left open resuming cooperation if the comptroller's office addresses its concerns.

What the comptroller said

Comptroller Don Huffines, who lost his election last week, accused the district of trying to avoid scrutiny. "Our review will continue and a full report will be published with or without your cooperation," he said, according to the Tribune. His office said site visits at the other three districts are complete.

State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, who won the comptroller's race, said last week that she would limit the reviews to school finances rather than library books and hiring policies, the Tribune reported, citing KERA. Her office pointed to her earlier comments that she would "immediately curtail" them. Huffines remains in office until she is sworn in.

Where City Hall fits

The City Council has no say over the review or the district's budget. The city and district do work together on several fronts:

• Reading help. On Nov. 5 the council approved, without objection, an interlocal agreement for Literacy First, a reading and tutoring program. It is $100,000 a year for 12 months with up to four renewals, for a total of up to $500,000. Our Nov. 5 meeting story lists the day's votes.
• Closed campuses. The district is selling or leasing several closed school sites, and the council has asked the city to look for partnerships on them. Our Oct. 30 story covers it.
• A possible takeover. The district also faces a possible state takeover over repeated failing ratings at Webb and Burnet middle schools. Our story after the election covers what the new governor could and could not change.

What's next

The district said it would not be available for site visits or interviews Nov. 9-13. The comptroller's report is due Dec. 31. On Dec. 12, voters in the at-large Position 9 race choose between Pamela Mathai and Cynthia Soliz in a runoff. The winner joins a board facing both the review and the takeover question.