Comptroller’s Auditors Finish First School District Visit in Prosper

Texas Comptroller Don Huffines said Tuesday that his performance review team has finished its on-site evaluation of Prosper Independent School District (ISD), the first of four districts his office is examining at the governor’s request. The team is now analyzing what it gathered during last week’s visit and will release a full review of district operations by the end of the year.

Huffines named the four districts on October 5, with their enrollment for the 2025-26 school year: Austin ISD, 69,074 students; El Paso ISD, 46,244; Prosper ISD, 33,583; and Barbers Hill ISD, 8,088. The review asks whether each district’s spending complies with state law and reaches students, classrooms and teachers, “rather than contributing to administrative growth or non-instructional bureaucracy,” in the words of the comptroller’s office. Prosper is the first to get an on-site visit. The Tuesday release gave no dates for visits to the other three.

The governor’s request

Gov. Greg Abbott asked for the reviews in an August 19 letter to Huffines. He wrote that “increased funds require increased attention” and asked the comptroller to confirm that “the $104.9 billion that Texas spends on K-12 education is being used for its intended purpose.” He asked for up to four districts of varying size and geographic location. The comptroller’s office said the same day that districts led by state-appointed boards would not be chosen.

The letter rests on Section 111.003 of the Texas Tax Code. On the governor’s request, that section directs the comptroller to investigate the books and accounts of “officers or persons receiving, disbursing, or possessing public funds,” and to make other investigations of public funds the governor asks for. The comptroller must report the results to the governor in writing. If a report shows a violation of the revenue laws or neglect of duty, the governor must notify the attorney general, who is directed to bring criminal and civil proceedings. Abbott wrote that the authority under his request runs through December 31, 2026, the date he set for the final report.

Before the session

The deadline is set so the 90th Legislature, which convenes in January 2027, can weigh the findings. “We will document wasteful or inappropriate spending wherever we find it and report our findings to the Legislature and the people of Texas,” Huffines said.

He also asked Texans who know of suspicious activity in Prosper or any other district to report it through the whistleblower portal his office opened on October 19, which sends tips directly to the agency’s investigators.

The report goes to the governor by December 31. From there the findings go to the Legislature, which writes the law that decides how Texas pays for its schools.