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EPISD earns 'superior' FIRST rating for 2024 audit period; comptroller reports 124.8 days cash on hand
Summary
The district comptroller presented the 2025 FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas) results: El Paso ISD received a superior rating (94/100) for the 2024 audit period, meeting or passing the critical FIRST indicators and reporting strong cash‑on‑hand and low administrative cost ratio.
El Paso — The El Paso Independent School District received a "superior" rating on the 2025 Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) report, the district comptroller told trustees during the Oct. 21 meeting.
Maria Alonso, the district comptroller, told the board the FIRST rating is issued by the Texas Education Agency and for 2025 the district's results reflect the financial audit covering July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 (the 2024 audit period). Alonso said EPISD met all five critical FIRST indicators, including timely filing and an unmodified (clean) audit opinion, timely debt payments and timely payments to governmental agencies. She reported the district had 124.8 days of cash on hand, a working capital ratio of 2.1 and an administrative cost ratio of 5.49% — figures Alonso said place EPISD well below the state maximum for districts of its size.
Alonso summarized how TEA groups the 21 FIRST indicators into critical, solvency and financial competency categories and noted two indicators (numbers 10 and 15) were not graded this year because TEA is evaluating them. In the solvency indicators the district earned full or partial points across fund balance, cash on hand and debt ratios; some metrics (for example the working capital ratio) earned partial points under TEA's grading table.
Alonso reported a final FIRST score of 94 out of 100 and said EPISD has earned the superior rating for the 22nd consecutive year. The comptroller also noted that the 2025 audit will be brought to the board in coming weeks for review; the FIRST report relies on the most recent audit submitted to TEA.
Why it matters: FIRST ratings are part of TEA's financial accountability framework; a superior rating signals that district resources are being managed in a way TEA judges consistent with fiscal health and classroom investment. Alonso cautioned some indicators change over time as TEA updates its methodology and said she would present the fiscal year 2025 audit to the board at the November meeting.
No formal board action was required for the FIRST presentation; the board opened the item for public comment but received none specific to the report.
