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Your school district’s preliminary 2021–2022 School Financial Integrity Rating System of ɬÀï·¬ (FIRST) rating is now available online. To access your district’s School FIRST rating:ÌýÌý

• access the ɬÀï·¬ Education Agency (TEA) website by using this linkÌý/;Ìý
• click the Finance and Grants webpage tab linkÌý/finance-and-grants;Ìý
• click the Financial Compliance linkÌý/finance-and-grants/financial-compliance;Ìý
• click theÌýFinancial Integrity Rating System of ɬÀï·¬Ìýlink; andÌýÌý
• click the School District FIRST Ratings link.ÌýÌý

Basis for School FIRST RatingÌýÌý

Your district’s rating is based on an analysis of the district’s financial data for fiscal year 2021 (the fiscal period ended June 30, 2021, or August 31, 2021, depending on the ending date of your district’s fiscal year). We determined your district’s rating using the financial indicators specified inÌý.ÌýÌý

Please carefully review your district’s preliminary School FIRST rating and the data associated with each of the indicators.ÌýÌý

Opportunity for AppealÌýÌý

If your district wishes to appeal an adverse issue it identifies in the preliminary rating, your district may submit a written appeal with supporting evidence to the ɬÀï·¬Financial Compliance Division. For the appeal to be considered, we must receive it by September 6, 2022. Send your appeal and supporting documentation to the following email address:ÌýFinancialAccountability@tea.texas.gov.Ìý

Please note, all appeal requests, including supporting documentation, must be submitted through email toÌýFinancialAccountability@tea.texas.govÌýon or before September 6, 2022. Appeals and supporting documentation that are not submitted to the Financial Accountability email address by the required deadline will not be considered or processed.Ìý

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Please seeÌýÌýfor the rules regarding the filing of an appeal. As stated in that section, we will consider only an appeal that would result in a change to your district’s rating. If no appeal is submitted by your district, your district's preliminary rating becomes final on the 31st day after the preliminary ratings are released (September 7, 2022).ÌýÌý

Final School FIRST Rating and Required ReportingÌýÌý

We will issue final ratings to school districts after we have reviewed any submitted appeals. Final 2021–2022 School FIRST ratings are anticipated to be released in November 2022.ÌýÌý

Within two months of the release of your school district's final School FIRST rating, your district must announce and hold a public meeting to distribute a financial management report that explains the district’s rating and its performance under each indicator for the current and previous year’s ratings.Ìý

The report also must provide the financial information described inÌý. We encourage your district to include in the report additional information that will be beneficial to stakeholders, especially information explaining any special circumstances that may have affected the district’s performance under one or more of the indicators.Ìý

The required newspaper notice, to inform taxpayers of the meeting, must be published no more than 30 days and no fewer than 10 days before the public meeting. Your district may combine the meeting with a scheduled regular meeting of the board of trustees.Ìý

For full requirements related to the report and meeting, seeÌý. For a template that your district can use in developing its financial management report, see the TEAÌýSchool FIRSTÌýweb page.Ìý

To access additional rules concerning financial accountability ratings, please seeÌý.Ìý

Accreditation StatusÌý

Please note that the ɬÀï·¬considers a district’s School FIRST rating when assigning an accreditation status, as required by the accreditation status rules inÌý.Ìý

Contact for Further InformationÌý

If you have questions about your district’s School FIRST rating, please contact Robin Aldridge at (512) 463-3940 or by email atÌýRobin.Aldridge@tea.texas.gov.

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