{"id":285894,"date":"2026-05-09T14:28:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T14:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/285894\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T14:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T14:28:17","slug":"amid-46m-deficit-saisd-superintendent-continues-district-funded-cross-country-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/285894\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid $46M deficit, SAISD superintendent continues district-funded cross-country travel"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO \u2013 San Antonio Independent School District\u2019s<\/a> outgoing superintendent went on at least 36 district-funded trips during his tenure, according to records reviewed by KSAT Investigates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We are following through on a viewer\u2019s request to revisit a previous KSAT investigation into Jaime Aquino<\/a>\u2019s travel. <\/p>\n

KSAT Investigates<\/p>\n

Hard-hitting journalism from the KSAT Investigates team delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n

In 2024, KSAT Investigates found SAISD spent $21,000 on Aquino\u2019s 22 trips<\/a> at the time, which included conferences in tropical destinations, celebrity speakers and \u201crightsizing research trips.\u201d<\/p>\n

New records reviewed by KSAT Investigates show the spending and travel hasn\u2019t stopped. <\/p>\n

Financial woes<\/p>\n

San Antonio ISD has spent the spring looking for ways to cut its $46 million deficit<\/a> in half, while also searching for its next superintendent. <\/p>\n

In March, Aquino announced he would retire<\/a> from the district in January 2027. He became the district\u2019s superintendent in May 2022. <\/p>\n

Aquino has been the subject of multiple KSAT Investigates stories in recent years, many of which focus on the district\u2019s spending. <\/p>\n

A January 2024 KSAT investigation revealed, under Aquino\u2019s watch, the district spent more than $9 million from its 2020 bond at campuses that were scheduled to shut down<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two months later, KSAT Investigates learned how misinformation from the district and inadequate heating during winter weather<\/a> in January 2024 contributed to dozens of schools to close down for multiple days.<\/p>\n

The district also spent nearly $500,000 on a single expense: a consultant. Tens of thousands were also spent on attorneys<\/a> to review media records requests while SAISD was strapped for cash.<\/p>\n

Teachers like Cynthia Beaver hopes the district\u2019s next leader focuses on finances. <\/p>\n

\u201cStop with the frivolous spending and the things that we don\u2019t need,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

From D.C. to Harvard to Houston, Aquino\u2019s travel spending persisted during budget cuts<\/p>\n

Since Aquino began leading SAISD in 2022, records show the district has spent at least $36,000 on his travel. <\/p>\n

Fifteen of those trips happened after KSAT\u2019s first story about his district-funded trips, which amounted to around $14,000.<\/p>\n

Records revealed Aquino traveled to Washington D.C. in February 2025 to speak on an education panel at a celebration of the achievements and contributions of Dominican Americans. He was invited by Congressman Adrian Espaillat (D-NY). Records show that trip cost the district around $700. <\/p>\n

Aquino traveled to Harvard University in Massachusetts in July 2025 for 5-day public education leadership project. Records show the district paid $588.73 for meals, lodging and airfare.<\/p>\n

Receipts and emails show Aquino traveled to Houston ISD at least twice in 2025. <\/p>\n

Houston is about a three-hour drive from San Antonio. Instead, records show Aquino flew there. Airfare for Aquino\u2019s two-day trip to Houston ISD in July 2025 cost the district $569.05, while another plane ticked for a two-day visit in September 2025 was $543.79. <\/p>\n

Houston ISD superintendent Mike Miles invited Aquino, according to emails reviewed by KSAT Investigates. Miles founded charter network Third Future Schools<\/a>, which is taking over three<\/a> SAISD schools. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo more trips,\u201d said Rose Hill, who lives in SAISD. <\/p>\n

With the current deficit and changes, she believes now is the time for the district to tighten its purse strings. <\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, our schools are hurting,\u201d she said. \u201cI think we need to cut back on the trips. We need to get back on everything until we get our finances under control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hill wanted to know how Aquino\u2019s trips are benefitting the community \u2014 and KSAT Investigates wanted to know too. <\/p>\n

Last month, we reached out to the district to ask for an interview to ask how the trips benefitted students and staff and the fiscal health of the district, as well as the impact of Third Future Schools.<\/p>\n

SAISD\u2019s Chief Communications Officer Laura Short refused to make Aquino available for an interview with KSAT Investigates, despite us providing several dates. <\/p>\n

We emailed the following questions to Short:<\/p>\n

How have these trips benefitted SAISD students and their education?<\/p>\n

With the district facing a $46M deficit and looking to make cuts, how do you justify spending $14,000 of taxpayer dollars on trips, which are mainly out of state?<\/p>\n

What do you say to those who believe this money could be better spent to support students?<\/p>\n

Two of the trips last year were to Houston ISD schools. The superintendent at the time is now tied to Third Future schools. <\/p>\n

Why was SAISD going to meet them in Houston?<\/p>\n

How does the district justify spending over $1,000 on flights to Houston instead of driving?<\/p>\n

In a statement, Short defended Aquino\u2019s extensive travel. The statement did not directly answer KSAT\u2019s questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeading a large urban school district like SAISD requires staying connected to what\u2019s working \u2013 and what isn\u2019t \u2013 across similar districts. Travel to national and regional education conferences, along with campus visits in comparable districts, is purposeful professional work focused on improving student outcomes. These convenings provide direct access to peers facing the same challenges, allowing SAISD to compare strategies, adopt proven practices, and avoid costly mistakes. The insights gained are applied to support educators, improve systems, and make more informed decisions for students and taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura Short<\/p>\n

Know something the public should know about SAISD? Reach out to Daniela at dibarra@ksat.com<\/p>\n

Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 San Antonio Independent School District\u2019s outgoing superintendent went on at least 36 district-funded trips during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[163,43946,4976,82,84,13503,83,6208,51314],"class_list":["post-285894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-education","tag-jaime-aquino","tag-ksat-investigates","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-isd","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-travel","tag-we-follow-through"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}