Financial audit into SISD finds inconsistencies with millions of dollars given as stipends
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- An investigation into SISD found inconsistencies with millions of dollars given as stipends and extra duty pay. In 2017,the community approved a $448.5 million dollar bond to address continuing growth. And in January 2024, Socorro Independent School District revealed the district had a $33 million dollar deficit in the 2023-2024 budget.The district then hired "Weaver" assurance, tax and advisory firm to conduct an impartial financial audit. ABC-7 obtained weaver's report which has more than 400 pages and can be foundhere. Weaver's report found employee stipends and extra duty pay totaled approximately almost $62 million dollars from fiscal years 2018 to 2022.
The report determined the increase in stipend payments in fiscal year 2022 was a result of increased compensation for summer school & extra duty pay, which increased from $2.9 million in fiscal year 2021 to $5.2 million in fiscal year 2022. Weaver's report states the majority of stipends and extra duty pay were allocated to a campus code, with $52.3 million of the $61.9 million allocated to a specific campus. The report does not say which campus.
Weaver's audit also says it identified inconsistencies with stipend descriptions. For example: the payroll register included entries for stipend payments for soccer-coaches, which was not included in the district's compensation plan. The report also found multiple stipends were paid but not approved by the school board. Weaver's audit also had recommendations for the district, including periodic reviews of staffing level pay grades, making sure the school board is aware of any changes in the compensation plan, detailing the allocation of stipends in annual budgets and for them to work with human resources to align names and descriptions with the approved compensation plan.
