I’m not sure if that’s the best metaphor, but it’s what I came up with when I read this.
Houston Democrats asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Monday to investigate a charter school network founded by Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles, after Spectrum News reported in May that Third Future Schools moved money from its Texas public charters to Colorado campuses while Miles was CEO.
Spectrum News reported that Third Future Schools charged its Texas schools fees that fed into a general fund, which, in part, subsidized one of its schools in Colorado before it closed. A 2022 audit also reported that Third Future Schools Texas ran a deficit due to debts to “other TFS network schools and to TFS corporate.”
Miles denied in May allegations of illegal financial practices at his former charter network. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath had said he referred the issue to the Texas Education Agency’s complaint team, but that initial reports did not show evidence of wrongdoing.
[…]
Nine area lawmakers asked Paxton to conduct a financial audit, review Texas Third Future schools’ compliance with state laws, and investigate potential conflicts of interest. They also asked the Attorney General to ensure Third Future Schools keeps an administrative office in Texas as required by law rather than a mailbox.
The letter also called for the office to scrutinize Houston ISD’s $4.4 billion bond, which the district’s Board of Managers voted to place on the November ballot, and that such scrutiny should include explanations of the district’s budget deficit.
See here and here for some background on that news report, and here for a copy of the letters. For a variety of obvious reasons, I don’t expect anything to come of this. I get why this was sent – you pull the levers that are available to you and hope for the best. Maybe someday when we get a real Attorney General, it may be possible to have an investigation, if one is warranted. Until then, you keep moving forward.
Pingback: Miles whines about criticism | Off the Kuff