State comptroller's office investigates EPISD financial practices

Staff from the Texas Comptroller's Office are at the El Paso Independent School District this week conducting a state investigation into the district's finances, according to KVIA.

State Rep. Vince Perez said his office sent a letter to Comptroller Don Huffines in response to Governor Greg Abbott's claims of financial mismanagement at EPISD. The comptroller's review includes requests for records on students without Social Security numbers, according to KVIA.

Perez's office noted that EPISD spends less on administration than the state's own benchmark and holds an A rating from the Texas Education Agency for financial management. The district was selected for review while 79 other eligible districts that spend more were passed over, according to the state representative's news release cited by KVIA.

Perez's letter posed eight questions to the comptroller's office, with written answers due within 14 days. That deadline passed October 26 without a substantive response, according to Perez's statement to KVIA.