Hempstead ISD has received a preliminary A from the Texas Education Agency in the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) for the 2021-2022 school year. School FIRST reports public school district financial accountability ratings.
“We are very pleased with Hempstead ISD’s School FIRST rating,” Hempstead ISD Chief Financial Officer, Amy Carter said. “The business department works hard to meet the needs of our students while continuing to provide financial transparency and sound management of the school district’s financial resources.”
The district’s rating is based on an analysis of the district’s financial data for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The system is designed to encourage Texas public schools to manage their financial resources better and provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes. TEA determines a district’s rating using various performance metrics related to financial management.
These indicator ratings show how a district is doing financially, and where the district should focus efforts for improvement. Out of a possible 100, Hempstead received a 94.
Ratings are based on analysis of staff and student data for the school year, and on budgetary and actual financial data for the fiscal year. Two measurement vehicles, the Annual Financial Report (AFR) and the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS), supply School FIRST with most of the measurement data from which the ratings are calculated.
Ratings will be final in November 2022.