Castleberry ISD Earns State’s Highest Fiscal Accountability Rating

Castleberry ISD Earns State’s Highest Fiscal Accountability Rating
Posted on 10/06/2021
Castleberry ISD Earns State’s Highest Fiscal Accountability Rating

Castleberry Independent School District officials announced at the October Board Meeting the district received a rating of “A” for Superior Achievement under Texas’ School FIRST financial accountability rating system. The Superior Achievement rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of Castleberry ISD’s financial management and reporting system.

This is the 18th year of the state's school financial accountability rating system, known as the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST), which ensures public schools in Texas are held accountable for the quality of financial management practices. The system was designed in response to Senate Bill 875 of the 76th Texas Legislature in 1999 and amendments under House Bill 5, 83rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2013 to encourage Texas public schools to better manage financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes. Due to the complexity of accounting associated with Texas’ school finance system, this goal requires attention to detail to achieve a superior rating.

“We are very pleased with Castleberry ISD’s School FIRST rating,” said Renee Smith-Faulkner, Acting Superintendent of Castleberry ISD. “This rating shows that our district is making the most of our tax payers’ dollars. This rating shows that Castleberry’s schools are accountable not only for student learning, but also for achieving these results cost-effectively and efficiently.”  

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. Castleberry ISD has achieved the highest rating for 18 prior years. 

For further information, contact:

DeAnne Page
Executive Director of Financial Services
[email protected]
817.252.2023