BRYAN, Texas --- Bryan ISD has spent upwards of $120,000, as of December 2017, in a legal dispute with Former Superintendent, Dr. Tommy Wallis. Dr. Wallis sued the district in the fall of 2016 to keep records relating to his resignation and employment with the district confidential.
In October of 2016, Wallis resigned his position with the district. According to an audio recording of a closed door meeting between Wallis and then-School Board President Dr. Douglas Wunneburger, Wallis was asked to resign or face an ouster by the School Board.
Soon after, KAGS filed public information act requests for Wallis’ employment records, and for any other records pertaining to his resignation. The Texas Attorney General’s office approved the documents’ release.
Wallis then sued, naming the school district and the attorney general, to keep the documents confidential. He cited Texas Education Law, which says all performance-related evaluations of teachers and administrators are confidential.
That legal battle continued until November 2017, when a Travis County Judge ruled the district could release some, but not all of the documents. Dr. Wallis has until Spring 2018 to appeal that decision.
In December 2017, shortly after that decision, we asked the district how much the suit cost them. They sent us copies of bills, sent to BISD by Walsh Gallegos, the firm representing the district. The records showed the district has spent $128,148.
For example, the bills show that just two days in court against Wallis, in June 2017, cost the district $8,603.
The district does have an insurance policy that protects against costs from litigation. They’ll get back about half of the money ($60,000) they paid to their lawyers.
BISD told us the funds were allocated from the district’s maintenance and operations budget, which also covers day-to-day school operations, like teacher’s salaries and textbooks. It’s funded primarily by property taxes.
Bryan ISD told us every dollar they spend from that budget that is allocated somewhere else, like legal fees, is money that doesn’t make it to the classroom. They also told us the district was named in a lawsuit and obligated to hire the best lawyers possible.