Brownsville ISD trustees approve budget amendment and facility contracts, reject outside forensic audit

Brownsville Independent School District trustees on Jan. 14 approved a budget amendment to cover recently approved employee stipends and cleared multiple facility and service contracts, while rejecting motions to terminate the district's outside counsel and to hire an independent forensic auditor.

The board convened at the BISD boardroom with Board President Erasmo Castro presiding. Chief Financial Officer Mr. Cespedes reported the district's financial snapshot as of Dec. 31, 2024: "we've received approximately in revenues about $208,800,000. We have had expenditures of about $229,100,000. So currently, we do have a deficit of about 20.2 million dollars," he said. Cespedes also reported special revenue (state and federal grants) receipts of about $15,300,000 and expenditures of about $27,800,000 (reimbursable grants), debt-service collections of roughly $17,300,000 and a self-insurance fund deficit of about $4,900,000 as of December.

Why it matters: the board moved to cover near-term liabilities by approving Budget Amendment No. 14, which trustees said mainly funds stipends the board authorized in December. Trustees also approved routine construction and engineering payments and continued or renewed several contracts; board members repeatedly asked…