Which school district spends the most on attorneys?

It costs a lot of money to educate children in Texas public schools, as taxpayers are well aware. School districts have to pay teachers, build schools and buy books. But school districts also spend a surprising amount of money on lawyers.

A KSAT 12 Defenders analysis of legal spending by the three biggest San Antonio school districts showed Northside Independent School District spending $752,578.73 last fiscal year -- or $7.72 per student.

North East Independent School District spent $558,153.42 -- or $8.21 per student.

San Antonio Independent School District spent $1,131,478.65 during that period -- or $20.90 per student.

SAISD's low ranking in terms of attorneys fees did not surprise critics of the district.

Alejandrina Garcia and Odelia Cantu say they have known all along the district spends too much on lawyers."

"This has to be out in the open," Garcia said. "Out in the open. Because enough is enough."

Cantu agreed. "It should be a wakeup call," she said. "But they'll just sweep it under the rug and start all over again."

They say the money could be better spent on teachers and students.

SAISD spokeswoman Leslie Price said the district is aware of the high costs for attorneys.

"We are looking at what can we do to reduce our costs further," Price said.

She said the district has already been working to reduce legal costs and is having success.

"If you look at the first half of this year compared to the same time last year, our spending is down 18%," Price said. The goal is to spend money on kids, not counsel.