Austin Independent School District announced Friday that it will no longer cooperate with the Texas Comptroller’s investigation into its spending, a decision that directly impacts how taxpayer dollars are overseen in the city’s schools. The district’s General Counsel, Kenneth Walker, sent a four‑page letter stating the district will not be available for site visits or employee interviews scheduled for November 9‑13.
The audit was launched in October by Comptroller Don Huffines after Governor Greg Abbott asked for reviews of up to four school districts. Huffines, a Republican, was defeated in the recent statewide election, but his office remains in charge of the review, which is slated to produce a final report by December 31, ahead of the next legislative session.
Walker’s letter challenges the comptroller’s legal authority to conduct extensive employee interviews and to request records that, according to the district, fall outside the scope of a spending audit. The district had already supplied “hundreds of pages of documents” and expected investigators to interview 30 to 40 employees, some for several hours. However, the comptroller’s office expanded its list of interview targets from an initial 12 senior administrators to more than 32 staff members on November 5, prompting the district to question whether the statute permits such broad questioning.
In addition to financial records, investigators have asked for the district’s library catalogue, policies governing human sexuality curriculum, and data on student enrollment using Social Security numbers and state‑approved alternative IDs. Walker called these requests “unrelated to the stated purpose of reviewing school spending” and said the motivations “do not seem aligned with the statutory purpose.”
State investigators did not appear for a scheduled visit on Monday after the district notified the comptroller’s office of its suspension. Huffines responded in a news release, accusing Austin ISD of trying to avoid scrutiny and stating, “Our review will continue and a full report will be published with or without your cooperation.”
Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, who defeated Huffines, has indicated she will limit the reviews to school finances and not extend them to library books or hiring policies, according to KERA. Eckhardt’s office confirmed she received a copy of Walker’s letter and reiterated her earlier promise to “immediately curtail” the broader inquiries.
While Huffines remains in office until the end of his term, the district left open the possibility of resuming cooperation if the comptroller’s office satisfactorily addresses its concerns about authority and scope.
What’s next: Austin ISD will not host any site visits or staff interviews from November 9‑13. The comptroller’s office must decide whether to proceed without district participation or to modify its request list before the December 31 deadline. Residents should watch for any further statements from both the district and the comptroller’s office as the year‑end report approaches.
Sources: click2houston.com, kut.org, austincurrent.org
