APRIL’S “DID YOU KNOW?”

Did you know the district has hired three different auditing firms in the past few years? Sure you did. And the savvy among our readers can name them in order: KPMG, Harvey Rose, and most recently FCMAT. Did you know the FCMAT report noted a number of administrative and board member indiscretions when it came to credit card purchases? We’re sure you remember that story. Did you know the district withheld the report from the public, only making it available after ESTA filed a suit under the Freedom of Information Act? If you are an East Side employee, you know all about that story. If you are a student, parent, or community member, you might have overlooked the story in the Mercury News, and can refresh your memory here:

Did you know that Dr. Zendejas and Trustee Craig Mann gave then - Chief Financial Officer Doug Emerson a directive not to make that report available to the public? Did you know that one unproven speculation was the report would be used as evidence against administrators Zendejas was looking to fire? Did you know Craig Mann was up for reelection when that report came out?

So you knew all of that, huh? How about this:

Did you know this wasn’t the first time Esperanza Zendejas kept an auditor’s report from the public, used the report to build an administrative enemies’ list, thus requiring a public agency (The Brownsville Herald) to file a suit against the district under the Freedom of Information Act? In two noteworthy paragraphs, we learn

“Repeated attempts by The Brownsville Herald to obtain copies of the audit this week have been delayed by the district. The delay is believed to be a violation of the Freedom of Information Act and the Texas Open Records Act.

The Herald submitted a FOIA request for the audit reports on Friday, but the district has 10 working days to comply with the request. The problems, however, may eventually lead to the firing of personnel.”

Since we dug this out of the archives, there isn’t a direct link, Read the whole article below:

Bookkeeping flaws found in school audit

The Brownsville Herald
By ROBERTO C. GONZALEZ

BROWNSVILLE -- An internal audit of accounts at several Brownsville schools turned up "inconsistencies" in bookkeeping that may involve employees of the district, according to Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas.

Earlier in the school year Zendejas ordered the school system's financial office to audit schools which had principals reassigned to new campuses. Several other departments such as maintenance and transportation were also audited.

"Several inconsistencies were found," Zendejas said. "We have to make sure to clarify those issues."

Zendejas refused to say whether the problems found would warrant criminal charges, but she did explain that the inconsistencies were cases of "bad judgment."

While it is unclear to what extent the problems uncovered by the audit may involve personnel matters, the district is already making corrections to school policy. [ to prevent future problems. ]This month the district began revising the definitions of accounts available to schools.

Principal accounts, funds which could be used as the school's principal wished, have been eliminated and replaced by motivational accounts.

Formerly, principals would use their accounts for anything, from buying pizza for honor roll students, to the purchase of books lost by students and the repair of school property.

“While those accounts did not use any money from the general budget, they did amount to "sizable accounts" making them a "major issue" that needed to be addressed,” according to Zendejas.

"We needed to look at keeping track of where that money is going so better judgment is used in spending that money," Zendejas said. "We have to make sure that money is really benefiting those kids."

Repeated attempts by The Brownsville Herald to obtain copies of the audit this week have been delayed by the district. The delay is believed to be a violation of the Freedom of Information Act and the Texas Open Records Act.

The Herald submitted a FOIA request for the audit reports on Friday, but the district has 10 working days to comply with the request. The problems, however, may eventually lead to the firing of personnel.

Zendejas, Drue Brown, the school district's public information officer, and Nan Sidenfield, an attorney for the district, have said the reason for the delay is due to the possibility that it may involve "personnel matters."

The attorney for the district said she wanted to make sure the information in the audit reports would not fall under one of the nine exemptions allowed under FOIA.

"This could be a very touchy situation," Sidenfield said. "I don't want the district releasing any information unless I'm sure about what it is."

Did you know Zendejas has a history of using budgets to decide “personnel matters.”? Did you know she raises questions about site funding to look for creative ways to shuffle funds? Bottom line: if you don’t learn from history, you’re doomed to repeat it. That’s why we thought you’d like to know!