Lake Travis ISD board waives privilege to allow public presentation of two forensic audit reports

Lake Travis ISD trustees voted to waive attorney-client privilege and heard a public presentation Tuesday from Ahuja and Consultants summarizing two forensic accounting reports that examined district purchases, reimbursements and use of 2018 bond funds.

Carolyn, vice president and shareholder at Ahuja and Consultants, told the board the firm reviewed purchases and reimbursements in four departments for Jan. 1, 2022, through Jan. 31, 2024, and separately examined bond-fund payroll and expenditures dating back to 2018. The board voted to waive privilege on the reports after a motion by Keeley and a second by Phil; a board member called the motion carried.

The audit summaries were commissioned after public complaints filed by Jessica Howard and Cara Bell alleging misuse of district funds. Ahuja said its first review of purchases and employee reimbursements — focused on the board, business office, human resources and the superintendent’s office — tested a sample that the firm said represented roughly 33% of transactions by count and 36.2% by dollar amount. The firm said it examined a total population of 1,699 transactions and tested 563 transactions.

Ahuja reported isolated documentation gaps and bookkeeping errors but said it found no patterns…