Harlingen CISD received an “A” rating for its superior financial management practices from the Texas Education Agency through the School Financial Integrity Rating System (FIRST) program.
The Business Services Department earned a 98 out of 100, with a 4-point increase from last year’s score. This score gave them a grade letter of an “A” which placed them in the Superior rating.
“Our team maintains high integrity in financial reporting,” Chief Financial Officer, Julio Cavazos said. “We keep up with the current laws and regulations. We understand that we spend taxpayers’ dollars and need to be financially transparent and fiscally responsible in providing the best possible education for our students within our means.”
This is the 18-consecutive year that the district has received this rating.
“It’s great to have an awesome team that understands our role to provide support to our campuses and departments,” Cavazos said. “I really want to thank our team for doing a great job year in and year out. It’s a total team effort, starting with our superintendent Dr. Art Cavazos and the board.”
Ratings through this program are based on an analysis of data reported for the 2019-2020 school year.
“They look at certain financial ratios to make sure the district is financially strong and well managed,” Cavazos said. “They also look to see if we are following rules and regulations established by local, state, and federal governments.”
The Schools FIRST system is designed to encourage Texas public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes.
