District Receives Top Financial Integrity Rating Again

by Ronnie Zamora/LFCISD

Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District has received a rating of “A” for “Superior Achievement” under Texas’ Schools FIRST financial accountability rating system for the 15th straight year.

The “A” rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of Los Fresnos CISD’s financial management and reporting system.

Los Fresnos CISD will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. November 13, during the regular monthly Board of Trustees meeting, when the community will have an opportunity to comment.

This is the 15th year of Schools FIRST (Financial Accountability Rating System of Texas), a financial accountability system for Texas school districts developed by the Texas Education Agency in response to Senate Bill 875 of the 76th Texas Legislature in 1999. The primary goal of Schools FIRST is to achieve quality performance in the management of school districts’ financial resources, a goal made more significant because of the complexity of accounting associated with Texas’ school finance system.

“We are very pleased with our FIRST rating again,” said Los Fresnos Superintendent Mr. Gonzalo Salazar. “This continues to show that our taxpayers that the school district is spending its tax money wisely. This rating shows that our schools are accountable not only for student learning, but also for achieving these results in a cost-effective and efficient manner.”

Los Fresnos CISD has achieved the highest possible rating in each of the 15 years the accountability system has been in place.

The Texas Education Agency assigned one of four financial accountability ratings to Texas school districts, with the highest being “A” for “Superior Achievement,” followed by “B” for “Above-Standard Achievement,” “C” for “Standard Achievement” and “F” for “Substandard Achievement.”