Queen CIty gets perfect score on state accountability report

By Bobby Horn Jr.
news@casscountynow.com

A recent report by the Texas Education Agency shows that Queen City ISD has its “financial house” in order.
According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Queen City received a score of 100 percent on the state’s most recent Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (F.I.R.S.T.).
The TEA said that the F.I.R.S.T. measures the how effective and efficient a district uses its funds. It also measures internal controls.
The minimum passing score for the F.I.R.S.T. report is 31.
The district’s rating is based on an analysis of the district’s financial data for fiscal year 2015. 
Other Cass County school districts earning a “100” on the F.I.R.S.T. report were Avinger, Hughes Springs and Linden-Kildare. Atlanta and Bloomburg each scored a “98” while McLeod had a “90.”
According to the TEA, “The state’s school financial accountability rating system, known as the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST), ensures that Texas public schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices and that they improve those practices. The system is designed to encourage Texas public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes.”
Among the items the report found was that the annual financial report was submitted to the state before the deadline, that an external independent auditor found no “material weaknesses in internal controls,” and “was the number of days of cash on hand and current investments in the general fund for the school district sufficient to cover operating expenditures (excluding facilities acquisition and construction)?” 
In total, the district had to score a perfect in 15 areas to receive the “100” score.
The report also looks how much the district spends per student and how that compares with students’ academic success.
David Marx, the TEA Director of Financial Compliance, said that the FIRST rating is taken into consideration in determining a district’s accreditation status.
School districts that received failing grades on the F.I.R.S.T. surveys for multiple years can face state sanctions, and in the most extreme cases have the state take over control of the district.