Alief ISD's Inaccurate Financial Audits

During the January 21, 2020 special meeting conducted in the Superintendents conference room, Whitley Pen’s Auditor Lupe Garcia stated:

·         That Alief ISD prepares all of the audit documents in house and Whitley Pen only audits what Alief ISD provides to them in the districts self-composed audit documents. 

·         Auditor Garcia went on to state that the only part of the audit that Whitley Pen provides is three pages of the entire audit document, and Alief is the only district that does their own audit reports. 

·         As a point of clarity, of the 166 total page document on the districts website, Whitley Pens portion of the audit is only 3 pages of that document. 

·         I was advised that Alief ISD has used the same audit company for 28 years now. 

·         When I expressed concerns for the districts ongoing relationship with Whitley Pen I was advised that the district rotates audit “partners” every three years. But these auditors all continue to utilize the same Alief ISD audit practices   

If Alief ISD compiles the comprehensive annual financial report each year, 28 years and counting, what do the external auditors do, and why is the district continuously using so much tax money to pay auditors for work that the district creates itself?

I personally have caught financial coding discrepancies and brought these discrepancies to the attention of the school board, the superintendent, the Chief Financial Officers, and numerous other administrators. 

The district responded by blocking my emails, denying US mail deliveries from me to the administration building, and willfully impeding upon my ability to utilize the districts grievance process. 

I close with the following questions:

When does the contract with Whitley Pen expire? Are there other vendors in Houston who qualify to be used as auditors? When can I expect my tax money to be better spent on the annual audit process?