Texas lawmakers grilled witnesses on Aug. 26 about the Barbers Hill Independent School District and its education foundation, with one policy group claiming the district redirected approximately $97.1 million to the foundation over a 13-year period.
The hearing focused on how much money moved from the district to the foundation, and how much of it ever came back.
Drogin’s Testimony
Mandy Drogin, a fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, testified before state lawmakers that her review of Barbers Hill ISD board resolutions and financial records found the district redirected approximately $97.1 million to the Barbers Hill Education Foundation between January 2012 and June 2025.
“By comparison, only about $6.5 million of that was given back from the foundation to the district between June 2010 and October ’25,” Drogin said.
Drogin also said in her testimony that she has questions about what happened to the money once it reached the education foundation and who was benefiting from the relationship.
Poole’s Defense
Greg Poole, the superintendent of the school district, told lawmakers the foundation is following the law.
“There is no illegal activity. Period. I’m not couching these words. I mean, when you go back and look at the allegations. There’s so much innuendo and might be and could be and not one shred of evidence,” Poole said.
“There is no illegal activity. Period. I’m not couching these words.”
Poole’s response was direct and rejected the allegations against the district.
The District’s Statement
ABC13 reached out to the school district on Wednesday. In an email, a representative defended the foundation’s record.
“Our foundation utilizes the same audit firm the school district does and has received clean audits every year of its existence,” the representative said.
The statement also said every foundation transaction in question was legal and approved by the comptroller of Texas.
The district’s response points to two main defenses:
- The foundation uses the same audit firm as the school district
- Every transaction was approved by the comptroller of Texas
The Numbers at Issue
The gap between what the district sent to the foundation and what came back is the core of the dispute. Drogin’s figures show far more money went out than came back.
That disparity raises questions about what the foundation does with the money. Drogin said she has questions about what happened to the funds once they reached the foundation and who was benefiting from the relationship.
The Comptroller’s Role
The district’s emailed statement cited the comptroller of Texas as a key part of its defense.
“Every foundation transaction in question was legal and approved by the comptroller of Texas,” the statement said.
That approval is one of the two pillars of the district’s response. The other is the clean audits.
The Shared Audit Firm
The district’s representative said the foundation has received clean audits every year of its existence.
“Our foundation utilizes the same audit firm the school district does and has received clean audits every year of its existence,” the representative said.
The audit firm is shared between the district and the foundation, according to the statement.
What the Figures Show
Drogin’s review covered a period from January 2012 to June 2025 for the money going out, and from June 2010 to October 2025 for the money coming back.
The figures she presented to lawmakers showed a significant gap between the two amounts.
The district redirected approximately $97.1 million to the foundation. Only about $6.5 million of that was given back.
The Dispute Continues
No timeline was given for any further action.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s review was presented as evidence, but it is one group’s analysis. The district says it has clean audits and legal approval.
Poole said there is no illegal activity and no evidence of wrongdoing. The district’s statement said every transaction was legal and approved.
The critics point to the gap between what went in and what came out. The district points to its audits and the comptroller’s approval.
For now, the debate continues. The district says it has followed the law, and the foundation has passed its audits. The critics say too much money moved one way, and not enough came back.
Source: abc13.com
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