BISD legal expenses rising

The Brownsville Independent School District has spent $687,148 on private attorneys so far this fiscal year, according to BISD's Internal Audit Department.

By comparison, BISD spent $533,826 during 2007-2008, a year-to-year comparison compiled by the Internal Audit Department shows. The document shows a grand total of $2.73 million spent on attorneys from the 2003-2004 fiscal year to the present. The fiscal year for school districts in Texas runs from July 1 to June 30.

BISD Board of Trustees member Catalina Presas-Garcia provided the comparison to The Brownsville Herald and has placed discussion of private attorney fees on Tuesday's school board agenda.

She said she provided the information because she feels the amount of money the district spends on attorneys amounts to "taxpayer abuse." She said the Board of Trustees needs to scrutinize the district's law firm, Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Aldridge & Gallegos, P.C.

"Walsh Anderson has been a big concern to me," Presas-Garcia said. "As chair of the Audit Committee, Walsh Anderson's billing is outrageous. The law firm is not following protocols and procedures. It seems to be making every administrator's decision a legal issue."

Presas-Garcia had placed a similar item on the April 21 school board agenda but withdrew it when the meeting dragged on until a late hour, and there wasn't enough time to discuss the issue.

The internal auditor's comparison shows BISD spent $405,719 on attorneys during the 2003-2004 fiscal year, $312,516 in 2004-2005 and $336,297 in 2005-2006. In 2006-2007, the total went to $449,996, while in 2007-2008 the district spent $533,826 and had spent $687,148 through March 15 of the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

Spokeswoman Drue Brown said legal fees are unavoidable in a district of BISD's size. For the 2008-2009 fiscal year, BISD has a budget of $476.66 million, according to the district's Web site www.bisd.us.

"Like school districts across the state, the Brownsville Independent School District has need of legal representation for matters involving students, employees and third parties," Brown said. "Administrative matters for a district like ours can include construction contracts, due process hearings, Texas Workforce Commission hearings and other matters. All of these require some measure of legal assistance to protect the interests and resources of the school district."

BISD's legal expenses fall approximately in the middle of the pack, according to a compilation of legal fees incurred by school districts across Texas and assembled by the Web site www.keepeanesinformed.com.

The Web site is a watchdog site maintained by Dianna Pharr, a teacher and parent in the Eanes school district near Austin. The report of legal expenses at Texas' 25,906 school districts is at www.keepeanesinformed.com/private_lawfirms.htlm.

Suzanne Marchman, a spokeswoman at the Texas Education Agency, confirmed the report is based on data that school districts are required to report to the TEA.

Tuesday's school board meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the boardroom of the BISD administration building at 1900 Price Rd.