Birdville ISD earns state’s highest fiscal accountability rating

by PegNews wire

Spend wisely, or Birdville gon' get ya.

Birdville Independent School District officials announced that the district received a rating of "Superior Achievement" under Texas' Schools FIRST financial accountability rating system. The Superior Achievement rating is the state's highest, demonstrating the quality of Birdville ISD's financial management and reporting system.

The is the fifth year of Schools FIRST (Financial Accountability Rating System of Texas), and the fifth consecutive year the district has earned the top rating. FIRST is a financial accountability system for Texas school districts developed by the Texas Education Agency. 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.

"We are very pleased with Birdville's Schools FIRST rating" said Superintendent Stephen F. Waddell, "as it shows that our district is making the most of our taxpayers' dollars. This rating shows that BISD's schools are accountable not only for student learning, but also for achieving these results cost-effectively and efficiently."

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." Districts with serious data quality problems may receive the additional rating of "Suspended - Data Quality." Districts that receive the "Substandard Achievement" or "Suspended - Data Quality" ratings under Schools FIRST must file a corrective action plan with the Texas Education Agency.

Source: Birdville ISD