Once again Longview ISD has earned the highest grade of 'superior' in State Financial Accountability Ratings released this month.
District officials will host a public meeting to discuss the ratings 6:30 p.m. Dec. 11 in the Longview ISD administration building, 1301 East Young Street.
'We expect to earn the superior rating every year,' said Lynn Marshall, Longview ISD's assistant superintendent of business, finance, and facilities. 'This rating is a reflection of our Longview ISD philosophy to be accountable not only for student learning but to do so with cost-effective measures to make the most of our taxpayers' dollars.'
The Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas was created by the Legislature in 2001 and was designed to encourage public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes, according to the Texas Education Agency.
The rating system scores school districts on 15 financial indicators, such as administrative cost expenditures, the accuracy of a district's financial information submitted to the Texas Education Agency and any financial vulnerabilities or material weaknesses in internal controls as determined by an external auditor.
School districts are given a numeric grade for the indicators. The numeric grades, when totaled, correspond to a letter grade of A, B, C or F. The letter grades correspond to the ratings 'superior,' 'above standard achievement,' 'meets standard' or 'substandard achievement.'
Ratings for 2016-17 are based on data from 2015-16. Longview ISD had been designated as 'Superior' in preliminary ratings released early this year. The district has been recognized for excellence in fiscal responsibility numerous times in the last ten years.