EDUCATION STRUGGLING ROBSTOWN IS PARTYING

It is said that Robstown ISD dodged a bullet, by not having to repay the 1.27 million dollars in federal grant money they received. There is a five year limit on the U.S. Department of Education's ability to recovery money.

They didn't dodge any bullet. They screwed a school district out of money that could have really used it. In a time when our education budget is being slashed by billions, we have school districts like Robstown ISD using federal grant money inappropriately. This money was given to them, yes given to Robstown ISD to help migratory children with education and health care.

Robstown ISD was suppose to use the 1.27 million dollars for just that, but rather they spent it on pizzas, movie theater trips, computer, and calculators. Robstown ISD failed to maintain an adequate record keeping system. Well of course they didn't, they didn't want people to know how the money was being spent. When asked to prove how pizzas and movies are beneficial to migratory school children's education, they had no answer. So finally a state audit was done and found all of the misappropriations of funds. This grant money is typically used on things like tutoring, health services, and counseling.

Some of the expenditures that were made with this grant money are as follow: movie theater trips, purchases of pizzas from Pizza Hut, trips to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, a bbq for a advisory committee, eye exams for NON MIGRATORY CHILDREN, computers, and calculators.

What should be extremely upsetting to tax payers, since that is where this grant money actually comes from, is that Robstown ISD has a 7 million dollar fund balance that could have covered these purchases. But they instead wanted to use the free money, or actually the tax payers money, to pay for them. In actuality it shouldn't be that big of a surprise that Robstown ISD misappropriated funds, they only spend 37% of their funds on actual classroom instruction.

So when people cry about the government cutting public education funds, Robstown ISD just laughs.

When money like this is spent and misused in this manner is there any wonder why the government thinks they can cut so much from education?

So now instead of repaying the money that Robstown ISD misused, they only have to pay back just over 74,000 or 6% of the total amount misused. The state can only ask Robstown ISD to repay the misused money from 2005-2006 which is still within the statue of limitations. Talking about getting away with just a hand slap.

When we hear save our education system and our children are our future, it is mostly comes from parents. It is the people in the elected positions that are to blame here and should be held accountable. That money could have helped a school district in actual need. Lets stop letting these people, we vote into office, ruin our education system and our children's future.

What do you think about Robstown ISD not having to repay the grant money? What does this say about our school systems?

Tell us