Records reveal over $17,000 of additional taxpayer dollars in the Tarrant Regional Water District were spent giving students water-related accessories, bringing the total to over $41,000.

Texas Scorecard previously reported that an open records request revealed taxpayers were invoiced over $24,000 for giving students boxes that contained items such as showerheads and faucet valves. Furthermore, the TRWD district map showed that four of the schools that received boxes are not even in the district.

Desiring to know what other products taxpayers were made to purchase from the producer of these boxes (Resource Action Programs), Texas Scorecard submitted an open records request seeking “all contracts between the TRWD and Resource Action Programs and any or all invoices for productions from Resource Action Programs.”

The findings show that this taxpayer-funded giveaway is even larger than previously reported, and since April 30, about two weeks after Texas Scorecard first reported on this issue, the program has expanded.

An additional 13 schools are revealed to have received the Water Wise boxes, with most of them being added to the list as of April 30; the boxes sent to these 13 new schools means that taxpayers have been billed for an additional $17,105.80, for a total of $41,545.20. Six of the schools are outside of the TRWD district, meaning 10 schools outside of the district have received the taxpayer-funded boxes.

The TRWD is supposed to collect taxes for flood control.

The updated listed of schools that have received Water Wise boxes, and the amount RAP billed for each, is below. Those marked with an asterisk are outside of the district:

Luella Maerrett Elementary – $1726.60

*Benbrook Elementary – $1495.20

*Snow Heights Elementary – $1121.40

*Bedford Heights Elementary – $2598.80

Oaklawn Elementary – $1584.20

Oakhurst Elementary – $1726.60

Comanche Springs – $2670.00

Western Hills – $3684.60

*Della Icenhower Elementary – $7832.00

*Northridge Elementary – $409.40

*Academy Carrie Frances Thomas Elementary – $1174.80

*Ruth Ditto Elementary – $427.20

*Knox Elementary – $765.40

*Burgin Elementary School – $2,171.60

*Jones Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language – $2,314.00

Versia L. Williams Elementary – $1032.40

Lily B. Clayton Elementary – $1,619.80

A.V. Cato Elementary – $2,420.80

All Saints Catholic School – $320.40

Manuel Jara Elementary – $2,367.40

Glen Park Elementary – $1,744.40

St. George Catholic School – $160.20

Robert Montoya

Born in Houston, Robert Montoya is an investigative reporter for Texas Scorecard. He believes transparency is the obligation of government.

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