At the December board meeting, Harmony Public Schools held a public hearing on the district's 2023-24 Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) results and the annual financial management report for the year ended June 30, 2023.

A district finance presenter (identified in the transcript as Speaker 3) summarized the FIRST process, noting that FIRST uses 21 indicators to monitor fund usage and financial standing. The presenter said the district reported separate FIRST scores for seven charter districts within the Harmony system and described required public disclosures for the year (CEO and board reimbursements, outside compensation, gifts and business transactions). The presenter said the full report and supporting package are on file and will be kept for three years for public requests.

The presenter characterized the results positively, saying the seven charter districts received favorable ratings in the reporting period and that the detailed scores for each campus are available in the package. (Transcript audio contains garbled wording on a line where both "failure" and "superior" are audible; the presenter also directly referred to the detailed FIRST indicator list and to posted scores.)

The board then moved into a closed session under Texas Government Code sections 551.071 (consultation with legal counsel), 551.082 (student discipline appeals) and 551.072 (real estate). Announced items included a student appeal for Harmony School of Innovation, Dallas, and discussion of real estate and finance project expenses. The board returned to open session at about 10:13 a.m. and, after discussion, a motion that was seconded was approved by voice vote; the public transcript does not include the text of the motion or a roll-call vote.

Authorities and disclosures: during the hearing the presenter referenced the FIRST framework (21 statutory indicators) and confirmed there were no reportable outside professional compensation, gifts, or business transactions with board members for the year. The presenter also noted CEO salary information is published as required.

Board action: the board announced it had discussed the announced closed-session item (the student appeal) and then approved a motion by voice vote on return to open session; the motion text and mover/second were not specified in the public record.

Next steps: the presenter said the detailed FIRST scores and the annual financial report are available in the meeting package and can be requested under the district's public records practice.