Del Valle Independent School District Del Valle Independent School District (DVISD) is a district on the move, with a growing student body and a need for new facilities. Businesses are flourishing and the population is growing at a rapid pace, which translates into a 10 percent annual increase in student population. While doing well in a number of areas, the district lacks detailed plans for managing its money and building schools in the face of this unprecedented growth.
The Del Valle Board of Trustees unanimously voted to request a review of the district and agreed to pay for 25 percent of the cost of the review.
The district is struggling with student test scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS).
The district's 78 percent pass rate is below the state average of 80 percent--and that number has dropped almost two percentage points since last year. With a growing and diverse population, the district faces numerous challenges in its efforts to improve student education.
My Texas School Performance Review (TSPR) team and I found that the greatest challenges facing DVISD are inadequate financial controls and weak planning for the future. What this district clearly needs is help controlling costs and finding places to save money that could be used for programs that directly affect students. The following recommendations for DVISD will serve my goal of driving more of every education dollar directly into the classroom where it belongs.
We found several ways the district could better control its finances. For example, the board and some administrators have unregulated access to credit cards. The former superintendent, many of the current and some former board members, and at least one other former administrator have charged meals, hotels and airline tickets for themselves and family members over the past three years. The district cannot produce all documentation showing that it was reimbursed for non-district related charges, nor can it determine which charges were for school business. Less than half of those with credit cards have shown my TSPR team that they reimbursed the district for non-school related charges.
But this is only one symptom of the district's financial control problems. Another serious symptom can be seen in the district's recent transfer of $5.4 million from the fund earmarked for building new schools to cover shortfalls in their health care, food service and other accounts. If proper controls had been in place, these shortfalls probably would not have existed.
Though no fraud or abuse was detected, the potential for both is possible. The board and current administration asked if they needed a fraud audit, and we think they do. Any misdirection of funds could lead to fewer classrooms, as well as poor health and food services for staff and students.
In addition, we found the district could save more than $1.3 million if it followed a controlled retirement plan for its 79 employees who face retirement beginning in the Fall. This includes using incentives such as lump sum payments to make the transition run more smoothly. The money saved could then be redirected into the classroom.
The new DVISD administration has been taking numerous steps to improve the district, and my report will help them do even more to make the district the best possible. I am confident that school board members, school administrators, teachers and parents are all committed to making the district the best it can be for their students.
Carole Keeton Rylander, Texas Comptroller
