Turns out a recent review of the Houston school system’s way of doing business won’t be free after all.
Superintendent Terry Grier told Texas Watchdog on Aug. 8 during an in-person interview that the audit conducted in October by a national education nonprofit would cost nothing to district taxpayers.
Earlier that month, Trustee Anna Eastman formally requested that an independent entity examine HISD’s purchasing processes.
But Jason Spencer, a spokesman for the Houston Independent School District, said HISD officials are awaiting a bill from the Washington-based Council of the Great City Schools.
“We are expecting a bill from the (council) that will cover the travel expenses for those who visited Houston for the review, a writer’s fee for the person who drafted the report, and a small administrative fee for the CGCS,” Spencer wrote in an e-mail to Texas Watchdog. “These fees cover the basic costs of producing the report.”
When the district asked the council in 2010 to do a review of HISD’s capital facilities program, the district wound up paying the council $21,652.
That price tag is about a quarter of what board members approved in October to pay a Houston accounting firm to audit procurement processes.
District administrators will pay Null-Lairson up to $87,500 for the audit that is currently underway.
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Contact Mike Cronin at mike@texaswatchdog.org or 713-228-2850. Follow him on Twitter at @michaelccronin or @texaswatchdog.
Photo by flickr user quacco, used under a Creative Commons license.
Keep up with all the latest news from Texas Watchdog. Fan our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Scribd, and fan us on YouTube. Join our network on de.licio.us, and put our RSS feedsin your newsreader. We're also on MySpace, Digg, FriendFeed, and tumblr.
Earlier that month, Trustee Anna Eastman formally requested that an independent entity examine HISD’s purchasing processes.
But Jason Spencer, a spokesman for the Houston Independent School District, said HISD officials are awaiting a bill from the Washington-based Council of the Great City Schools.
“We are expecting a bill from the (council) that will cover the travel expenses for those who visited Houston for the review, a writer’s fee for the person who drafted the report, and a small administrative fee for the CGCS,” Spencer wrote in an e-mail to Texas Watchdog. “These fees cover the basic costs of producing the report.”
When the district asked the council in 2010 to do a review of HISD’s capital facilities program, the district wound up paying the council $21,652.
That price tag is about a quarter of what board members approved in October to pay a Houston accounting firm to audit procurement processes.
District administrators will pay Null-Lairson up to $87,500 for the audit that is currently underway.
***
Contact Mike Cronin at mike@texaswatchdog.org or 713-228-2850. Follow him on Twitter at @michaelccronin or @texaswatchdog.
Photo by flickr user quacco, used under a Creative Commons license.
Keep up with all the latest news from Texas Watchdog. Fan our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Scribd, and fan us on YouTube. Join our network on de.licio.us, and put our RSS feedsin your newsreader. We're also on MySpace, Digg, FriendFeed, and tumblr.
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