The district received an “A” for Superior Achievement in the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas accountability system referred to as Schools FIRST. HPISD earned a 94 overall score for the 2021-22 fiscal year, a 10-point increase from the previous year that can be primarily attributed to improvements on indicator 7 of the rating systems. Indicator 7 evaluates the district’s amount of cash on hand at the end of the fiscal year.
Schools FIRST ensures that Texas public schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management and reporting practices. The primary goal of FIRST is to achieve quality performance in the management of a school district’s financial resources, a goal made more significant due to the complexity of accounting associated with Texas’ school finance system.
The Texas Education Agency assigned one of four financial accountability ratings to Texas school districts, the highest being “A” for “Superior Achievement,” followed by “B” for “Above-Standard Achievement,” “C” for “Standard Achievement” and “F” for “Substandard Achievement.”
Click here to view the FIRST presentation made at the Dec. 13 school board meeting and here to view the full FIRST report to learn more about HPISD’s fiscal performance. Visit the Texas Education Agency website for general information on TEA's FIRST accountability system.