For the 20th time, Pearland Independent School District recently received an “A” for Superior Achievement under the School Financial Accountability Rating System of Texas (FIRST) for the 2022-23 rating year based on the 2021-22 school year data.
The Superior Achievement rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of Pearland’s financial management and reporting system. A score of 90 out of a possible 100 earns the rating of Superior Achievement, and Pearland received a 92.
This is the 21st year of School FIRST, a financial accountability system for Texas school districts implemented by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The primary goal of School FIRST is to achieve quality performance in managing school districts’ financial resources, a goal made more significant due to the complexity of accounting associated with Texas’ school finance system.
TEA assigns 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.
“The Schools FIRST accountability rating ensures that Pearland ISD and all Texas school districts are accountable not only for student learning, but also for financial accountability with the state requirements,” Pearland ISD Director of Finance Brittany Kaighen said. “The information provided by the School First system will continue to guide us in our efforts to maximize each taxpayer dollar.”
