Texas school districts earn top ratings for fiscal responsibility

The state of Texas admits through its rating system that educators are good stewards of tax dollars!

Despite political rhetoric to the contrary, public schools have never been more successful than they are today. It's a fact supported by every measure the Texas Legislature has created to hold educators accountable. The state's school financial accountability rating system, known as the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST), ensures that Texas public schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices and that they improve these practices. The system is designed to encourage Texas public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes.

• 95% of Texas ISDs earned the state's highest ratings for fiscal responsibility. By comparison, 89% of charter schools met this benchmark.

• Conversely, just one half of one percent (.5%) of public schools were given a substandard rating, while 5% of charter schools were labeled substandard in their financial management practices.

Source: TEA.Texas.gov