HISD bond program is $39 million over budget
Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier told the school board this week that an initial review shows the district's $805 million bond program is $39 million over budget. He said it appears that the initial budget for the 2007 bond did not include funding for land and portable buildings — those expensive trailers used to house students during the construction process — and that the scope of some projects has grown without board approval.
"I'm sitting here stunned," board member Larry Marshall said.
Grier's new chief business officer, Leo Bobadilla, said he is reviewing documents for each school project to find out the initial scope and cost estimate, what changed, and whether the budget is in the black or the red. Bobadilla, who used to work with Grier in Guilford County Schools in North Carolina, replaced Dick Lindsay.