HISD Rodeo Spending Scrutinized

HOUSTON (AP) _ The Texas Education Agency has reopened its investigation into whether some Houston Independent School District principals and administrators incorrectly used discretionary funds to spend as much as $100,000 on rodeo gala tickets since 2003.

The Houston Chronicle reports the agency looked at the ticket buys last year, but closed the investigation when the HISD’s inspector general concluded there was no problem. TEA reopened the investigation this year after Del Murphy, husband of a retired HISD assistant principal, filed complaints with the district’s inspector general and TEA.

School Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said principals and administrators had appropriately used the funds because purchasing tickets works to cement a fruitful partnership between HISD and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The rodeo, he said, awards more than $1 million in college scholarships to HISD students annually.

The principals bought the tickets with profits from school vending machines that go into funds controlled by the school leaders.

Tickets for the annual Black Heritage Western Gala were given to teachers and administrators.

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