AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Independent School District's chief financial officer (CFO) was allegedly arrested for insurance fraud last week.
According to KVUE's media partners at the Austin-American Statesman, 51-year-old Eduardo Ramos was taken into custody July 31 by the Austin ISD Police Department. He was formally placed on leave from the district that same day.
The Round Rock Police Department reportedly obtained a warrant to investigate reports of fraud, and law enforcement determined this was not directly related to Ramos' work at the school.
On Aug. 2, Austin ISD shared an online statement informing parents and teachers of Superintendent Matías Segura's decision to place Ramos on leave.
In a statement, Austin ISD said:
"We’re aware of the charge regarding Ramos’s personal affairs. The arrest does not involve any alleged criminal activity related to his work on behalf of Austin ISD or with any Austin ISD staff, faculty or students.
"An external third-party auditor conducts an annual audit of Austin ISD’s finances, which we submit to TEA and make available to the public on our website. Additionally, the Austin ISD Board of Trustees’ auditor conducts annual audits of various divisions of our district including most recently procurement and payroll. We are engaging with our board to develop a plan to perform any further reviews deemed appropriate."
As the school year begins Aug. 20, Katrina Montgomery will temporarily take over the role as interim CFO.
Ramos was originally planning to leave the position Aug. 16, but his departure has since been expedited.
He began working for the district as CFO back in 2021, where he managed state and national grants, purchases, budgeting and more.
Previously, he was employed in various similar roles, such as deputy superintendent of finance and operations at Hutto Independent School District and CFO at Pflugerville Independent School District.
It is currently unclear who will replace Ramos as the full-time CFO.