One of Texas’ most prominent journalists says she wishes she could have described the “corruption” in the Houston school system in a recent piece for Texas Monthly.

If I could have written a longer story I would have written more about the corruption on the school board. How it works, who is most guilty, how entrenched it is. There are reformers who believe this corruption dooms the whole system, and there were days when I agreed. Because so many educated, powerful, and wealthy people send their children elsewhere, the board doesn’t have the kind of leadership it should have. The kids just don’t come first.

 

Fortunately for the public, Texas Watchdog is leading the way in reporting on ethical issues in the Houston schools.

And folks throughout the country are noticing. The Wall Street Journal posted a link to our Thursday story on questionable behavior by Houston school board members.

Officials at HISD – which is the nation’s seventh-largest school district, has a $1.6 billion annual budget and about 203,000 students – already have changed some of their procedures due to Texas Watchdog’s reporting and are examining whether to change more.

Those steps include:

• District officials are hiring an outside, independent firm to audit the HISD procurement process

• District officials are exploring strengthening HISD’s ethics policies.

• District officials hit the brakes on a $640,000 no-bid consulting contract with an acquaintance of school board member Larry Marshall. Three months after Texas Watchdog broke the story on the contract, school officials say it’s still being negotiated.

• HISD board President Paula Harris said she would abstain from voting on further contracts that involve potential district business with companies owned by one of her friends. This is the link to the story that led to that decision. 

• Reporting on questionable ethics and questionable policies and practices at the school district.

• Harris’ voting on contracts with a company owned by one of her best friends, and HISD’s habit of hiring Harris’ good friends -- including the wife of Harris’ campaign treasurer -- through no-bid contracts. 

• Allegations in civil court documents that two HISD board members received lavish gifts from companies that wanted to do business with the school district.

• Questions about whether Harris communicated with school officials regarding her friend’s firm.

• And trips that Marshall took to Costa Rica that were arranged by an HISD contractor.