High Spending, Middling Results: Northwest ISD Needs Stronger Accountability
Update May 7, 2026
NISD Admits “Unacceptable Delay” After Attorney General Ordered Release of Davis High School Records
Northwest ISD has acknowledged an “unacceptable delay” in releasing public records related to the construction costs of Davis High School after a Texas Attorney General ruling ordered the majority of the records released.
The Attorney General ruling (OR2026-011971) rejected most of the district’s attempt to withhold construction records under Homeland Security and terrorism-related exemptions and ordered the remaining information disclosed.
Despite the ruling being issued on March 24, 2026, the district did not release the records until May 2026. In a written response, NISD’s attorney admitted the delay resulted from an internal failure within the district’s legal office.
The released records show a reported project budget of approximately:
$435 million total project cost
including roughly $65 million for the stadium
The contracts also reveal:
millions in contingencies and allowances,
substantial future costs still unresolved,
and broad reimbursable contractor expenses.
Davis High School now appears to be among the most expensive public high school projects currently under construction in the United States.
Top Findings
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![Sign promoting the Davis High School project showing an upward trending graph, stacks of coins, and a bag of money in front of a school under construction, with the text 'NISD Skyrocketing Costs'.]()
Excessive Spending
The Davis High School project is estimated to cost $475 million making it the 3rd most expensive high school in US history—nearly twice the national average per-square-foot cost for high school construction. With bond financing, total taxpayer repayment is expected to exceed $1 billion.
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![Hand holding a report card for NISD with subjects Math, Reading, and Science, in front of a Texas Education Agency sign in a dark environment.]()
Texas Education Agency Ratings
Texas Education Agency grade reports stagnant performance - when expressed as a GPA-equivalent, NISD’s estimated district-wide GPA for 2024 stands at a paltry 2.76. Data also reveals a steep decline in key STAAR EOC testing.
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![Illustration of six staff members in office attire with ID badges, standing in front of a school building labeled 'NISD', with red arrows and '3X' in large red text, and the words 'Administrative Staffing Increasing' at the bottom.]()
Out-Of-Control Administrative Staffing Costs
Administrative salaries average nearly $100,000—about 45% higher than teacher pay—while administrative headcount has tripled over 15 years, even as enrollment and teaching staff only doubled.
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![Graph showing a man with an ID badge labeled NISD, bundles of cash and coins with an American flag in the background, and red arrows indicating increased salaries. Text overlay states 'Superintendent pay package among the highest, top salaries in the U.S., $400K per year of your tax dollars.']()
One of the Highest Paid Superintendents in the USA
NISD’s superintendent has received rapid compensation increases, placing him among the highest-paid superintendents nationwide, even as district academic performance has declined.
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![A school lunch tray with chicken nuggets, pasta salad, macaroni and cheese, french fries, a slice of pepperoni pizza, a cup of fruit punch, and a soda can. The tray is on a wooden surface with a blurred background of students in a cafeteria. The text overlays read 'School Lunch Ultra-processed' and 'Aramark The nation's largest supplier of food to prisons.']()
Ultra-processed Cafeteria Food
Aramark—the largest supplier of food to U.S. prisons—also serves NISD, where ultra-processed foods and ingredients such as sodium nitrate, BHA/BHT, and trans fats have been identified. Outsourced cafeteria staffing limits transparency into worker vetting and background checks.
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![A brochure or sign from NISD with a headline 'HIRING NON-LOCAL'. It shows a briefcase with a hiring document marked 'HIRED', and street signs pointing to 'LOCAL' and 'NON-LOCAL' with arrows.]()
Hire Local!
NISD employs eighty-six staff that are either on Immigrant Visa, work permits, or Green card.
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![A digital illustration featuring three faceless professionals in front of a cityscape, holding documents and tablets, with a large empty wallet being held by a hand, and text that reads 'NISD PROP A PROMISED TO LOWER CLASS SIZES' and a yellow question mark.]()
Prop A - The Math Ain't Mathing
Proposition A raised approximately $12 million in new taxes with the promise of smaller class sizes, including $8 million for hiring more teachers. Yet even with the addition of 120+ teachers, normal enrollment growth means the student-to-teacher ratio remains unchanged—continuing a pattern that has persisted for 15 years.
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![A protest sign protesting the e-verify program on capital spending projects. It shows a crossed-out e-verify logo, a handshake holding US dollar bills, a map of Mexico with a downward arrow, and a modern school building in the background. The sign also contains text: "No E-Verify on Capital Spending Projects" and "Local tax dollars leaving the country in remittances."]()
The Giant Sucking Sound
Local taxpayers fund NISD’s capital construction projects, yet there is no evident requirement for E-Verify compliance in district construction contracts. This lack of transparency leaves residents unable to determine who is working on school projects—or whether taxpayer dollars are benefiting the local economy at all.
