DCS Investigations Reveal Improper Donations, Additional Wrongdoing
- posted: Sep. 28, 2017
- Whistleblower Litigation
This spring, NBC 5 in Dallas produced a 30-minute in-depth investigative report surrounding developments in the investigation into Dallas County Schools (DCS), a taxpayer-funded agency that oversees the transportation of more than 75,000 students in North Texas each day.
According to the report, DCS was experiencing financial turmoil that led it to sell land owned by taxpayers to get some quick cash. However, the agency still needed to be able to use the land, so it entered a lease deal that forces taxpayers to cover millions of dollars’ worth of payments over the next two decades.
The investigation also revealed some extreme lapses in safety to go along with the misuse of taxpayer money. There has been a significant increase in school bus crashes, with millions of dollars spent to settle bus accident claims, along with another scandal that involved the use of taxpayer money to pay off tickets for bus drivers who were issued traffic citations. Earlier this year, the DCS was $42 million over its budget and had millions of dollars of debt.
It’s unclear who exactly profited from the real estate deal and if improper donations made to the campaign of DCS Board President Larry Duncan played a role. In the wake of the scandal, state lawmakers are calling for the agency to be abolished.
Tangled web of deals and misuse of funds
It is worth watching the entire 30-minute report to learn more about the issue and how it is affecting local Dallas-Fort Worth area residents. The entire case is an example of the power of whistleblowers to compel major investigations into potential wrongdoing.
For further information on the steps you should take if you become aware of illicit acts within a business or organization, contact an experienced Dallas lawyer with Whistleblower Law for Managers.