School Finance & Operations Specialist/Technical Advisor
Mr. Medina joined Schulman, Lopez, Hoffer & Adelstein, LLP, in January 2012 as a non-attorney School Finance & Operations Specialist/Technical Advisor*. Mr. Medina has over thirty years of audit and investigative experience, including over 24 years of experience in school finance, compliance, and operations. Notably, Mr. Medina has direct experience with federal and state fiscal and programmatic legal requirements, the Foundation School Program, required internal controls and related operational best practices, and state purchasing requirements and practices.
Since joining the Firm, Mr. Medina has assisted the Firm’s attorneys and clients in compliance and programmatic reviews, responding to administrative agency audits, actions and investigations, and litigation before administrative agencies and state and federal courts. In recent years, Mr. Medina has focused his time with clients working through the state’s complex funding system, providing insight into the proper use of state and Federal funds, addressing ESSER, Child Nutrition Program, E-Rate, and maintenance of effort compliance requirements, and conforming purchasing practices to applicable law. Mr. Medina also co-founded and served as editor to the Firm’s newsletter, School Law Buzz.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Medina worked for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for over 12 years directing, managing and supervising the audit, investigative, review and other monitoring activities over regional education service centers (ESCs), open-enrollment charter schools (OECS), independent school districts (ISDs), and Federal and state grant programs. During his tenure at the TEA, Mr. Medina conducted compliance, financial and performance audits of public schools and reviewed the annual financial and compliance reports filed by ESCs, OECS, ISDs, and nonprofit grantees. Mr. Medina also oversaw the State Compensatory Education program and worked with the other programs funded by the student-based allotments. Additionally, he is an author and developer of various modules of the TEA’s Financial Accountability System Resource Guide and fiscal desk review processes. Mr. Medina provided business advisory services to public school officials and administrators, presented information regarding OECS issues and regulatory requirements to the State Board of Education, the Commissioner’s Charter School Cabinet and TEA executive management, conducted presentations for the benefit of public school officials and administrators, independent auditors and TEA staff at various regional and statewide conferences and other forums, and testified in administrative hearings, judicial proceedings, informal reviews and record reviews.
Education
The University of Texas at Austin (Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Summa Cum Laude; Master in Professional Accounting with a concentration in Auditing and Financial Reporting)
* Mr. Medina is not licensed by the State Bar of Texas. He is a non-attorney technical advisor working under the supervision and direction of the firm’s attorneys.