KSAT Investigates found San Antonio ISD's superintendent, executive cabinet and school board members spent more than $121,000 on travel since 2024, even as the district faces a $46 million budget shortfall and program cuts.
San Antonio, Texas Weather Radar | KSATSan Antonio attorney sentenced to 20 years in prison following guilty plea in $540K theft caseTIMELINE: Erik Cantu’s multiple arrests since he was shot by an ex-SAPD officer in 2022San Antonio candle vendor’s car stolen with entire market setup inside, couple says– Top leaders at San Antonio ISD have spent more than $120,000 on travel to conferences across the country since 2024, according to a review of records by KSAT Investigates.
KSAT Investigates found other district leaders were also traveling on the district’s dime. San Antonio ISD’s spent more than $46,000 to pay for travel for seven members of its executive cabinet since mid-2024, records show. The cabinet’s top traveler is Dr. Shawn Bird, the district’s deputy superintendent. Records show Bird has gone on at least 17 trips on SAISD’s behalf.
Bird’s travel to a June 2025 conference raised questions. Records show the district paid for Bird to attend a conference at the University of Virginia to learn about leadership in education. Receipts show the district originally bought Bird a round-trip flight from San Antonio, which cost $1,045.62.
However, another receipt showed Bird changed his flight to leave from Houston, then return to Kahului, Hawaii, totaling $1,070.57. KSAT Investigates reached out to the district’s chief communications officer, Laura Short, to request an interview with Bird about the discrepancy. Short did not make him available to speak until KSAT stopped by the district’s offices last week.
“Why not have the district pay for a one-way flight to Virginia and you pay for the one- way flight to Hawaii? ” KSAT asked.
“You know, you bring up a good point, and I would not,” Bird said. “That’s how I would do it in the future if I was ever going to travel personally after district businesses. That’s exactly what I would do. ” In an effort to take district’s $46 million shortfall head-on, some music programs — including mariachi — have been cut.
“Well, you know, that’s true,” Bird said. “You’re right. We do have a budget shortfall, but we also need to make sure that the district is operating in a healthy manner. And my travel has really been related to improving outcomes for students.
” Records reveled Bird also took a flight from Houston to another conference in San Diego, which cost the district $1,023.96. Unlike other district leaders, records show Bird had the district pay for his parking at San Antonio International Airport three different times — totaling approximately $150. Bird told KSAT he was part of a program that required travel, which is now over. He said that the district will “see the benefits of that for many years to come.
”Records show the district spent more than $36,000 to send six SAISD school board members to conferences across the country.
“As sitting trustees, we take seriously our responsibility to remain informed on school governance, finance, legislative developments, accountability requirements, and best practices that impact public education,” SAISD Board President Alicia Sebastian in an email to KSAT Investigates. “The travel undertaken by Board members has been directly tied to those responsibilities and to continuous learning opportunities that support effective governance on behalf of SAISD students, families, and taxpayers.
” In total, the cost of travel for Aquino, the executive cabinet and the board has cost the district more than $120,000 — an amount equivalent to two first-year teachers’ salaries.
“That could have been to support staff helping, you know, tutor or doing other things that that the schools actually desperately need,” said SAISD teacher Cynthia Beaver. “That’s a lot. ”Daniela Ibarra joined the KSAT News team in July 2023. This isn’t her first time in the KSAT newsroom– the San Antonio native spent the summer of 2017 as an intern.
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