GISD earns a perfect score on from Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas
Study examines both academic progress and spending at Texas’ school districts and individual school campuses; GISD receives a “Superior” rating, scoring perfect on 20 indicators

GALVESTON, Texas – Galveston Independent School District officials announced it received a “Superior Achievement” rating from the Financial Integrity System of Texas, as recently reported by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The “Superior Achievement” rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of Galveston ISD’s financial management and reporting system. This year’s ratings are based on data from the 2010-2011 school year across 20 different indicators.

“We are very pleased with Galveston ISD’s Schools FIRST rating,” said Superintendent of Schools Larry Nichols. “It shows we are making the most of our taxpayers’ dollars. The rating also shows we are accountable for not only student learning, but also achieving these results cost-effectively and efficiently.”

According to the TEA website, “the purpose of the financial accountability rating system is to ensure that school districts and open-enrollment charter schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices and achieve improved performance in the management of their financial resources. The system is designed to encourage Texas public schools to manage their financial resources better in order to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes.”

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.” Last year, Galveston ISD received an “Above-Standard Achievement” rating due to school rankings. This year, the district rated a perfect 70 out of 70 total points on the ratings scale to receive the “Superior” rating.

The district will publish a notice of a public hearing in the near future for community members to discuss the results of the FIRST report. Results for Galveston ISD as well as other districts may be found by clicking here.