The district filed the civil lawsuit, Mr. Fox said, because it wanted taxpayers to know that the district is serious about trying to figure out what went wrong.

On August 25, 2006, the district filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in federal court.

The district has filed six counts of malpractice related to the overbillings; Ms. Briggs is suing the district for more than $100,000 in nonpayment.

State officials say they have no authority to compel districts to file the reports.

Among the claims are two lawsuits the district has filed, one against the former school board members and one against the district's former law firm.

A school cannot use the same exception for two consecutive years, and if an exception is used the district must file an academic improvement plan with TEA.

A few days earlier, the district filed documents of its own challenging the Borga family's claimed residency in Westbury.

In April, the district filed 51 additional charges, this time including several criminal charges concerning official misconduct and tampering with public records.

As of May 2010, the district had not filed an answer to the plaintiffs' complaint.

A lawyer for the school board said he would not comment on the case until the district had filed a formal response.