Austin ISD quits the state spending review Prosper ISD already hosted, and the comptroller vows to publish anyway

The state spending review that sent auditors into Prosper ISD last month has hit resistance from one of the other three districts in it, and Comptroller Don Huffines says he will publish all four reports anyway.

Austin ISD told the comptroller's office in a four-page letter sent Friday that it would stop cooperating, FOX 7 Austin reported. Huffines responded Monday with a statement accusing the district of trying to avoid scrutiny and saying his office's site visits had been "successfully completed" in Prosper, Barbers Hill and El Paso ISDs.

"Our review will continue, and a full report will be published with or without your cooperation," Huffines said in the release.

The district's objections

According to FOX 7, Austin ISD's letter argued that there is not enough time to evaluate the district fairly before the Dec. 31 deadline, questioned whether the comptroller has the authority to interview more than 30 district employees, and said the office had requested records unrelated to the review, such as the school library catalog.

The district says it was willing to act in good faith at the start but that the office's requests became unrealistic, FOX 7 reported.

The comptroller's release did not respond to those specific points. It said the reviews will be published by the end of the year so the Legislature can consider any recommendations, and that any criminal wrongdoing found would be referred to law enforcement.

How the review came about

Gov. Greg Abbott asked for the reviews in August, directing the comptroller to pick up to four districts of different sizes and regions. Huffines named Austin, Barbers Hill, El Paso and Prosper ISDs on Oct. 5. His office has said the work will test whether spending follows state law and goes to students, classrooms and teachers rather than administrative growth.

FOX 7 noted that Abbott's request did not cite an example of misused funds.

Supporters and critics split along familiar lines in FOX 7's report. Mandy Drogin, a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told the station that taxpayers "have a right to know how their money is being spent." Texas AFT, one of the state's largest educator unions, said in a statement to FOX 7 that the review is a "waste of scarce resources."

The timeline

Huffines lost his race last week to state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, who has said she would limit the scope of the reviews once she takes office. Until then, the work remains with Huffines, whose office says the reports will still come out by the end of the year.

Prosper was the first of the four districts to host an on-site visit. A Prosper ISD spokesperson told KERA News last week that the district continues to cooperate fully with state auditors.

Sources

State of Texas

fox7austin.com

Incoming comptroller says she would pare back the state's review of Prosper ISD; district says it has heard nothing about a change (prosperweekly.news)