18 Sep 2003
Schools FIRST Rating Positive Step For District, Moses Says
DALLAS—Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Mike Moses said Thursday that the district has received notification from the Texas Education Agency that DISD has received the highest rating, Superior Achievement, under the state's new Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas.
This is the first year of Schools FIRST, a financial accountability system for Texas school districts developed by TEA in response to SB 875 of the 76th Legislature in 1999. The primary goal of Schools FIRST is to achieve quality performance in the management of school districts' financial resources, a goal made more significant due to the complexity of accounting associated with Texas' school finance system.
"The Dallas Independent School District has made a priority of managing the tax dollars we receive to fund our school system," Moses said. "The Schools FIRST accountability rating ensures that Texas school districts are accountable for student learning, and for achieving these results cost-effectively and efficiently. The information provided by the Schools FIRST system will guide us in our continued efforts to make the most of our tax dollars."
The Schools FIRST accountability rating system assigns one of four financial accountability ratings to Texas school districts, with the highest being, "Superior Achievement," followed by "Above-Standard Achievement," "Standard Achievement," and "Substandard Achievement."
DISD will hold a public hearing to report their financial accountability rating to parents and taxpayers. No date has been set as yet for such a meeting. The district's rating will be included in an annual financial management report for the public.
"Financial integrity in this district remains a top priority along with student achievement and student safety," Moses said. "We will remain focused on ensuring that all tax dollars allocated to DISD are spent wisely and efficiently and in the best interest of our students and faculty. This is great news for the district, and we look forward to ratings that are as good as this one in the future."