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Heads up, Texas taxpayers: we’ve reviewed the upcoming LA VERNIA ISD agenda and found 4 items that deserve your attention before the gavel falls.
| ALERT (LEVEL 8) |
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District Using Student Survey Vendor Panorama
A technology department update lists ‘Panorama’ as a district vendor. Panorama Education is a controversial company that contracts with school districts nationwide to administer Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) surveys, which often collect sensitive psychological and attitudinal data from students.
Response
DEMAND THE DETAILS: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘The technology update in Item VIII.(3).C lists Panorama as a vendor. What services is Panorama providing, what data is being collected from students, and how can parents opt their children out? The board must provide the full contract and all survey instruments for public review.’
💰 Impact: Student Data Collection
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| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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$190k Bond Contingency for Design Flaw
The board is being asked to approve a change order for up to $190,444 to modify the loading dock and delivery route for the new high school cafeteria. A note from the contractor in the attached documents questions if this work should have been part of the original bid, suggesting this is a costly fix for a design oversight, paid for from the bond’s emergency contingency fund.
Response
DEMAND A RECORDED VOTE: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘Regarding Item VII.(2).A, why wasn’t a functional delivery route included in the original cafeteria design? Vote NO on using $190,444 of the bond’s contingency fund to fix a planning mistake.’
💰 Impact: $190,444 from Contingency
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| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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Audit Finds District Overspent Its Budget
The district’s 2025-26 financial audit, up for approval, found that expenditures ‘exceeded the budget in total in both the general and debt service funds.’ The auditor’s letter explicitly calls on the district to review its budgeting practices and ensure new spending is properly approved by the board.
Response
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘Before approving the audit in Item IX.(2), what specific steps will the board take to ensure the district does not overspend its budget again? Taxpayers expect fiscal discipline, not after-the-fact excuses.’
💰 Impact: Lack of Fiscal Discipline
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| WARNING (LEVEL 6) |
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Expensive Consultants Managing $84.8M Bond
The board is set to approve monthly payments of $89,918 to project manager AG|CM and $86,560 to architect Pfluger. These firms hold multi-million dollar contracts to oversee the 2023 bond, adding a significant layer of ‘soft costs’ on top of the actual construction price tag that taxpayers are funding.
Response
DEMAND THE DETAILS: Email the Board (contact info on the district website): ‘Regarding Item VII.(1), what is the total expected cost for all management and consultant fees for the 2023 bond? Taxpayers deserve to know the full administrative cost of this project, not just the construction price tag.’
💰 Impact: Multi-million dollar contracts
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