Austin ISD among four Texas districts picked for comptroller’s “detailed review” of spending
Austin Independent School District is one of four Texas school districts selected by the state comptroller’s office for a detailed review of how it spends taxpayer money.
Comptroller Don Huffines announced that Austin, Barbers Hill, El Paso and Prosper school districts were chosen for the review, which is meant to ensure public funds are being spent responsibly.
The four districts
Austin ISD is the largest of the group, with 69,074 students enrolled for the 2025-26 school year. Together, the four districts serve roughly 157,000 students.
| District | 2025-26 enrollment |
|---|---|
| Austin ISD | 69,074 |
| El Paso ISD | 46,244 |
| Prosper ISD | 33,583 |
| Barbers Hill ISD | 8,088 |
What the review will examine
Huffines first announced the review on Aug. 19, saying it follows a formal request from Gov. Greg Abbott.
According to the comptroller’s office, the “Huffines Performance Review” will look at whether district spending complies with state law and whether money reaches students, classrooms and teachers rather than administrative growth or non-instructional bureaucracy.
“This review is an important step to ensure transparency, accountability, and the responsible use of public funds,” Huffines said. “I’ve informed Gov. Greg Abbott about the school districts we are examining. Our office is committed to providing a clear assessment that helps Texans understand how their education dollars are being used.”
Under Abbott’s request, the comptroller can examine up to four independent school districts of varying size and location. Districts run by state-appointed boards are excluded. Huffines has said the review will be conducted “professionally and transparently,” and that any wasteful or inappropriate spending the office finds will be documented and reported to the Legislature and the public.
Abbott had already singled out Austin and El Paso in August, citing enrollment drops (Austin down about 14% from 2015 to 2025, by his figures) alongside higher administrative spending per student. Barbers Hill had also drawn legislative scrutiny over its education foundation. Huffines has not publicly tied those points to the final list.
Huffines has given a deadline for the report, but not a public explanation of why these four districts were picked.
Political context
Huffines, a former state senator and Dallas-area real estate developer, took office Aug. 1 after Abbott appointed him to the post. He is on the November ballot for a full four-year term against Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt. His office is also overseeing the state’s launch of a $1 billion school voucher program that allows families to use public dollars for private schooling.
District response
Austin ISD officials have not yet responded to Huffine’s declaration.
Sources:
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, “Texas Comptroller Don Huffines to Launch Performance Review of School Districts’ Spending,” press release, Aug. 19, 2026. https://comptroller.texas.gov/about/media-center/news/20260819-texas-comptroller-don-huffines-to-launch-performance-review-of-school-district-spending-1787157996728
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, announcement of selected districts and 2025-26 enrollment figures (Austin, Barbers Hill, El Paso and Prosper ISDs), as provided to the author. [Add link.]
- Office of the Texas Governor, “Governor Abbott Appoints Don Huffines As Comptroller Of Public Accounts,” press release, July 2, 2026. https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-appoints-don-huffines-as-comptroller-of-public-accounts
- The Texas Tribune, “Don Huffines sworn in as Texas acting comptroller ahead of November elections,” Aug. 1, 2026. https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/01/don-huffines-sworn-in-as-texas-acting-comptroller-ahead-of-november-elections/
As Austin ISD braces for state intervention, a critical question about the possible future of the cash-strapped district remains unanswered: How much will this cost taxpayers? (Austin Current)
In this week’s episode:
Learn about Austin ISD’s Cybersecurity Month challenge, the H-E-B 2027 Excellence in Education awards, the English for Me program and hear about how Andrews Elementary is making academic progress with a positive learning environment.
(Episode from October 5, 2026)
The Austin City Council Work Session is today at 9:00 AM at Austin City Hall (301 W. Second Street). Some members may join by videoconference. The agenda has two substantive items:
B1. Briefing: No Wrong Door initiative
This is a coordinated crisis response program that connects high-utilizer individuals (people who frequently use emergency and crisis services) with permanent supportive services. Those services include housing, health care, behavioral health, and substance use treatment. The goals are to reduce arrests emergency room visits, and homelessness.
Presenters:
- Robert Luckritz, Chief, Austin Travis County EMS
- David Gray, Director, Homeless Strategies and Operations
- Robert Kingham, Court Administrator, Community Court
- Maris Herold, Chief of Strategic Initiatives, Police
- Marisa Malik, Director of Crisis Services and Justice Initiatives, Integral Care
- Perla Cavazos, Chief Governance and Government Affairs Officer, Central Health
E1. Executive Session: Levins et al. v. City of Austin et al.
Council will consult privately with legal counsel (Texas Government Code Section 551.071) about this lawsuit, Case No. D-1-GN-26-009327 in the 53rd District Court in Travis County. The suit challenges the legality of Dog’s Head Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 21. Because it is a closed session, the discussion won’t be public.
Other sections
Pre-Selected Agenda Items (A), Council Items of Interest (C), and Council Discussion (D) are listed with nothing under them.
Procedural notes
- Council may go into closed session on any agenda item under the Texas Open Meetings Act.
- Council won’t discuss regular meeting agenda items at the work session unless they’re identified for discussion, and won’t vote on a work session item that is also on the regular meeting agenda.
The next Regular Meeting for City Council happens Thursday.
After a weekend of heavy rain turned much of Zilker Park’s Great Lawn into a churned-up mud field, Austin City Limits Music Festival organizers are promising to leave the park “better than we found it” as city leaders and park advocates demand answers about how, and how quickly, it will be restored.
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PODCAST
If you turned on lights this morning, took a shower, or rode your bike, the decisions the Austin City Council makes affect you! The Austin Common editor-in-chief Amy Stansbury joins City Cast Austin host Miles Bloxson to preview the city council races on the ballot this November. Another local measure Austin voters will decide is whether to invest $260 million into the city’s parks and pools. The Austin Park Foundation’s Alyssa Vargas makes the case for parks. We round out today’s episode with an ongoing debate: Is it Lady Bird Lake or Town Lake?
An accident early this morning in Bastrop involving three vehicles and a pedestrian resulted in one fatality and several injuries.
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Cedar Park Police Chief Mike Harmon announced Cedar Park Police Chief Mike Harmon announces retirement from department and start a new role as chief of police for Round Rock ISD. (KVUE-TV via MSN)
Neighborhoods across Central Texas are turning on their porch lights and stepping outside tonight as the Austin Police Department joins communities nationwide for National Night Out.
Media attention and public scrutiny surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement intensified across the country after the Sept. 20 shooting of Wilber Garces Perez in North Austin.
However, the impact of ICE operations across the Austin region had already been escalating for months, mirroring broader statewide and national trends.
According to ICE records obtained by the Deportation Data Project, enforcement actions rose sharply around the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, with arrests resulting in detention surging by 308% between January 2025 and July 2026. (KUT 90.5)
WEATHER
MONDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
A developing rainstorm in the southwestern Gulf can bring another round of heavy rain to parts of the southeastern United States later this week and weekend, raising flooding concerns in areas already drenched by a stalled front. There is a high chance that this will eventually become a tropical depression or Tropical Storm Isaias.
A domestic disturbance at an apartment complex in New Braunfels escalated into a SWAT and Crisis Negotiations incident Sunday.
An Austin man was sentenced in Comal County to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to various charges.
After more than 42 years, using modern forensic DNA technology and extensive police work, investigators have finally identified the victim of a brutal murder in Hamilton County as 44-year-old Betty Jo Norris. (Texas Department of Safety)
The Eastland family is responding to the criminal probe into their role in the deaths of 25 campers and two counselors following deadly floods at Camp Mystic in July 2025.
A report from Sam Karas of the Big Bend Sentinel regarding a federal judge’s temporary injunction that has paused new border wall construction in the Big Bend region of Texas
President Donald Trump will return to Texas this week for a midterm rally in San Antonio, marking his second visit to the state in as many weeks as Republicans push to turn out voters ahead of Election Day.
Trump will headline the rally Wednesday at the Freeman Coliseum, with doors opening at 2:30 p.m. and remarks scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones wants to capitalize on President Trump’s Wednesday visit. She asked to meet with him to advocate on several issues, including the ICE detention facility.
California leaders are voicing fierce outrage following campaign rally remarks by Donald Trump suggesting foreign foes could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego as a “very small price to pay” for broader geopolitical victories.
Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating UnitedHealth Group, Inc. (“United”) for allegedly engaging in deceptive and unlawful practices that have denied Texans access to medically necessary healthcare.
Despite advocates requesting a stay of execution based on claims of intellectual disability and long-standing mental illness, Texas is set to execute Jamaal Howard who was convicted of killing Vickie Swartout during a convenience store robbery in Silsbee in 2000.
Texas deer hunters are being asked to look for signs of New World Screwworm.
SPORTS
The Texas Longhorns look to extend their Red River dominance as Steve Sarkisian’s squad enters the Cotton Bowl as the nation’s No. 1, aiming to keep Oklahoma Sooners out of the end zone for a third straight year. Can Texas capitalize on Oklahoma’s offensive struggles and desperate mindset, or will the Sooners pull off a season-defining upset?
The SEC has announced all of the game times for the weekend of October 17, including the Florida Gators visit to DKR to face the Texas Longhorns.
The SEC has announced the game will kickoff at 11 a.m. CT.
NHL: Jake Oettinger stopped the 14 shots and earned his 17th career shutout as the Dallas Stars beat the San Jose Sharks 5-0 on Monday night for their first victory of the season. (Associated Press via MSN)
ON THE SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8
There’s South Austin…and then there’s South South Austin.
North Austin and South Austin have been arguing over who is the “real” Austin since before the city even had bridges wide enough to settle it with a tug of war, and this episode of The Daytripper heads straight into the neighborhood that answers the question with its own kind of weird.
Six trips into Austin and this is the strangest and tastiest one yet.
