The Highland Park Independent School District received a clean financial audit for the 2019-20 fiscal year from its external auditor, Weaver and Tidwell, L.L.P. The firm presented its findings to the HPISD Finance Committee last week and the Board of Trustees accepted the final report during its meeting on Tuesday. The audit of the district's finances from the 2019-20 school year found no material weaknesses, findings or significant audit adjustments and showed that the district is in compliance with all reporting requirements.
"Knowing the complexity of school finance in the state of Texas, we should always be pleased when we receive a clean external audit from a respected firm such as Weaver," HPISD Finance Committee Chair Edward Herring said. "Thank you to Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Mike White and the entire Business Services team for putting in place strong financial controls in HPISD. They are obviously working."
In addition to the clean financial audit, HPISD once again received an A (Superior) rating on the state's school financial accountability system known as the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST). FIRST ensures that Texas public schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices.
"This year has been one of the most challenging we’ve ever seen because of the pandemic," White said. "I am thankful to our team for their diligence and continued commitment to excellence during this time."
As noted in the audit, HPISD also received certificates of excellence in financial reporting from the Associational of School Business Officials (ASBO) and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
The full audit is available here.