Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district trustees on Monday approved the scope and estimated cost for the first portion of an impending forensic audit.
The board chose the firm Weaver and Tidwell LLP last month.
Interim Superintendent Alejandro Elias told trustees that the audit will be divided into two phases.
Phase one will review payments to vendors and contractors, purchasing, procurement and practices, and federal funds and grants. That phase will cover about three educational years, from the 2020-2021 school year to present.
It’s estimated to cost the district $182,500 to conduct the audit’s first phase, Elias said.
The board did not discuss the audit in depth, and also did not approve an estimated cost and scope for phase two.
“The second portion, that would be as we move along, then that would be brought back,” Elias said.
Calls for a forensic audit among trustees followed an election that saw a new majority gain power on the board.
The district’s former superintendent exited the district shortly after that election, and Board President Cynthia Gutierrez has described the audit as a good way to provide a snapshot of district operations to the newer members of leadership.
Last month, trustees Jorge and Jesse Zambrano — the last remnants of the majority that reigned on the board before the election — both voted against awarding the request for qualifications for the audit to Weaver.
On Monday, however, the Zambranos voted unanimously with the rest of trustees to approve the audit’s scope and cost estimate.
Forensic audits have served as catalysts for change at Rio Grande Valley school districts in recent years, often leading to high level personnel changes and directional shifts.
