The Comal Independent School District received a “superior achievement” financial rating from the Texas Education Agency’s School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, or FIRST auditing system.
CISD earned 84 out of 85 possible points, far above a mere “passing” score of 55 and indicative, according to the TEA’s rating system, of sound financial standing for the district.
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.
The only indicator that knocked a point off of CISD’s score was indicator 13. The indicator asks: “Was the percent of operating expenditures expended for instruction more than 65 percent?”
“(That) is a requirement that is actually going away, (though) I think it was really close,” said Debra Smith, assistant superintendent for business services.
Eighty-eight percent of school districts throughout the state, excluding charter schools, which are not audited in this system, receive a “superior achievement” rating. That represents almost 95 percent of the total enrollment in Texas public schools.
“I think it is a good system if nothing else. Every year, I go through every one of those questions, not just that we passed but how we did,” Smith said.
Smith said it is unlikely, under the current funding system through the state, that so many districts will continue to receive superior ratings down the road.
“Under the current funding system, if the legislature doesn’t change the funding formula (many more districts down the road will start to suffer),” Smith said.
“You are going to have people struggle to make their debt services rating. The reason we’re in good shape is we continue to grow, and under the current funding system, that is the only way to get more revenue,” he said.
