San Antonio Independent School District has placed two of its most senior administrators, Deputy Superintendent Patti Salzmann and Chief of Staff Toni Thompson, on paid administrative leave while the district pursues a forensic review of how it spent money from its $1.3 billion 2020 bond program. Both have been on leave since Sept. 4, according to sources with direct knowledge.
Board Seeks Targeted Review of Bond Spending
SAISD sought proposals on Aug. 19 from independent accounting firms for a targeted forensic examination of its 2020 bond program, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The application deadline was Sept. 3. The review was later expanded after trustees raised concerns about the administration’s accounting for bond funds. Findings are to go to the board through its audit committee.
Voters approved the $1.3 billion bond in 2020 by a 2-1 margin; about $420 million remains unspent. The Express-News reported that rising construction and labor costs have coincided with delays to some planned campus work, including projects at Davis Middle School and Martin Luther King Academy.
What Oversight and Audits Cover
The Texas Education Agency says school districts must submit annual financial and compliance reports audited by an independent auditor. That recurring requirement is distinct from SAISD’s targeted forensic examination of its 2020 bond program.
SAISD’s bond-information page says the Board of Trustees has final approval over bond-program schematic designs, bids, contracts and expenditures. The page also describes the Citizens Advisory Committee for the separate 2016 bond program as advisory, without decision-making, policy-setting or management authority; neither description establishes the status or findings of the 2020 bond review.
Who Are Salzmann and Thompson
Salzmann joined SAISD in 2018 and became chief academic officer in 2019 before rising to deputy superintendent, a post she has held for six years. She has overseen day-to-day district operations for the last two years and led SAISD's response to declining enrollment, an effort that resulted in the closure of 15 schools before the 2024-25 school year. Before SAISD, she spent nearly 17 years overseeing curriculum at North East ISD, part of 31 years in public education overall.
Thompson has worked for SAISD for 46 years, joining the district's human resources department in 1985 before becoming chief of staff, a role in which the report says she oversees central office staff and external affairs. She briefly served as interim superintendent after Jaime Aquino retired earlier this year, before Adrian Bustillos began his tenure as superintendent. Between them, Salzmann and Thompson have more than 80 years of combined experience in San Antonio-area school districts, per the outlet's report.
Conflicting Accounts of What Triggered the Leave
SAISD has declined to explain why Salzmann and Thompson were placed on leave. The Express-News reported, citing sources, that Salzmann had raised concerns about bond spending and accounting months earlier and called for an investigation. Those sources said Thompson’s leave concerned questions about her hiring of an outside contractor to investigate Salzmann’s concerns. The district has not publicly confirmed those accounts.
Salzmann’s attorney, Jay Brim, told the Express-News that nothing he had seen indicated Salzmann was involved in distributing bond funds. The public record has not reconciled that statement with the reported questions about how Salzmann’s concerns were raised and investigated.
A New $600 Million Ask Looms
SAISD is also preparing to ask voters to approve a $600 million bond issue on the Nov. 3, 2026, general-election ballot. The Express-News reported that the proposal would fund campus modernization, technology upgrades and athletic-facility renovations. Trustees, led by Board President Alicia Sebastian, will weigh the review’s outcome as they consider the proposed borrowing.
A Similar Case Played Out in Fabens ISD
SAISD's situation echoes, in structure if not scale, a case that unfolded at Fabens Independent School District near El Paso, where a financial audit found a former employee had spent $40,780 in district credit-card purchases for personal use between September 2024 and June 2025, according to cbs4local.com. That audit found the employee had altered credit-card statements to hide the purchases, and the district referred the matter to law enforcement after investigating internally. Superintendent Segovia told the outlet, “We did immediately investigate it internally and then turned it over to the authorities.”
Fabens ISD has since tightened its controls, requiring two staffers to check statements against receipts, and its trustees are moving forward with a more targeted forensic audit of district finances. Officials there also said they intend to pursue recovery of the misused funds, in part through insurance. Whether SAISD's own review turns up anything resembling that outcome remains to be seen; no findings, dollar figures or completion date for the SAISD forensic examination have been released.
