Auditors Reviewing EPISD Scheduled To Arrive In El Paso Tuesday

The feds have their sights set on the El Paso Independent School District.

An audit is set to begin this week, but what will the feds be looking for and to whom will they be talking?

District officials told ABC-7 auditors will arrive in El Paso on Tuesday. They’re supposed to begin their work after meeting with district officials.

News of the audit has some students frustrated.

“It’s annoying,” exclaimed Bowie High School senior Mirna Chavez.

She said she’s had enough with investigations into her school.

Last June, state senator Eliot Shapleigh first accused Bowie of moving weaker students to bring up TAKS test scores in 2007.

The school was cleared by the Texas Education Agency.

Now Bowie High School, along with Austin High School, Coronado High School and Franklin High School, is the focus of a federal audit.

The Department of Education wants to find out if TAKS scores from 2006 to 2009 were skewed in any way — specifically in the district’s Adequate Yearly Progress results.

“What it’s come down to, is the senator really abusing the power of his office and manufacturing these allegations,” EPISD Superintendent Dr. Lorenzo Garcia said last Friday.

Garcia has always denied any wrongdoing.

Department of Education officials said they cannot comment on this specific case, therefore, cannot say what prompted the audit.

However, they said auditors usually examine documents and speak with those involved.

Officials also said the length of the audit will depend on what is found during the review.

“If there’s something we’ve done wrong, we want to fix it and make the appropriate changes,” said Garcia.

He said he’ll fix any problem that shows up.

Students said they just want things to get back to normal. “We’ve all worked pretty hard – because it started with our class – to get to where we were at,” said Chavez.

Department of Education officials said a report will be available to the public once the audit is finished.