The El Paso Independent School District approved a contract for an outside accounting firm to investigate district-wide wrongdoing as well as standard test monitoring services.

These items are mandated by the Texas Education Agency at a cost of about $1 million overall, and these are the very organizations that missed the cheating scandal during former superintendent Lorenzo Garcia's six-year tenure.

The forensic investigation, which will cost around $600,000, comes out of the general fund. The investigation is supposed to find who else was involved in the cheating scandal alongside the FBI's investigation.

Garcia tried to get bonuses by cheating the system and manipulating student's grade and not accepting students. He is now spending 3½ years in prison because of it.

Students present at Tuesday night's Board of Trustees meeting were victims of the scandal. They have been coined the "disappearing students at Bowie High School"

"They took our chance to do that, have that, to even feel good about ourselves that we accomplished a diploma," said Adriana Auarte, a former Bowie High School student. "I just want them to understand and give us a second chance."

That has since made the TEA step in to figure out what's gone wrong and figure out how to make it right.

Among those sanctions passed down by the TEA is to have test monitor services established and have an outside auditing firm investigate what happened.
The board approved the contract despite the firm's investigation being led by a former TEA official and being the sole bidder.

Some state-elected officials say they have an issue with that, but the ex-TEA official Adam Jones told the board he had nothing to do with the audit that cleared EPISD in 2010.

"I certainly don't believe a conflict of interest exists now that I work a private firm, nor would I given my past responsibilities at the TEA," Jones said.

The investigation begins November and ends in February. The board president said action will be taken against those found of wrongdoing as soon as early march.