The Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District and Marion ISD both earned a “superior achievement” financial rating from the Texas Education Agency’s School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, or FIRST auditing system.
The details of each report are available on the TEA Web site. The maximum score in the rating system, which compiles various data from indebtedness, academic acceptability, reserve funds available, aggregate totals cash, investment earnings and ratio of students to teachers can sum up to a perfect tabulation of 85.
SCUCISD received a perfect score, and Marion ISD earned an 81.
“This is the fourth or fifth time (to earn a perfect score),” said Rebecca Villarreal, communications officer for the district.
In fact, it is the sixth time the district has earned the score since 2003. The TEA began using the rating system in 2001.
“We were fortunate enough to have a healthy fund balance. We budget conservatively for growth,” she said. “Every year, they increase the budget indicators and we meet them. We are very fortunate in that way.”
Marion ISD didn’t quite fair as well, but did still manage a “superior achievement” rating.
“Our score was three and I believe losing 75 to 80 students (this past year caused it),” said James Hartman, superintendent of Marion ISD. The score he referred to is indicator 10, regarding whether debt related expenditures are less than $250 per student.
That number will increase if students leave the district after funding is secured for the year.
“We assume it’s a function of the economy. Most of our residents work out of town, we don’t have a lot of service industry,” he said.
Despite the score drop, the district is happy overall with the audit.
“We’re very pleased that we hit that highest standard even in these difficult budgetary times,” Hartman said.
