Houston ISD Trips Once Again on a $35 Million Shopping Spree

[TexasTowelie]

Google the words "HISD" or "Houston ISD" coupled with the words "procurement" and "audit" and you won't just find stories from last week. History has a tendency to repeat certain moments and not always in a glorious way.

So it was sad news last week that once again HISD has apparently tripped over itself in its procurement process, triggering an audit that found its new procedures as troubling as its old, albeit with some new wrinkles.

The district paid high dollar for contracts when there were lower bids; committee members can't come up with documentation to show how they reached their decisions and they set a new land-speed record for racing through 21 proposals that involve spending a huge amount of taxpayer money.

As a result, the audit investigators recommended that all this bundle of contracts approved by the board last year be re-bid. That's except for the two contracts that have already been executed and they recommend HISD's legal department take a look at them.

Read more: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/news/2015/03/google_the_words_hisd_or.php

[Downwinder]

1. Wouldn't have that problem if they were Charters.

Wouldn't have public oversight. No audit.