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WESLACO ISD earns 'superior' FIRST rating, scores 98 of 100; bond debt cost two points
Summary
At a public hearing, district officials said WESLACO ISD earned a 'superior achievement' Financial Integrity Rating with 98 of 100 points, losing two points because the 2023 voter‑approved bond raised the district's debt‑to‑property‑value ratio above a scoring ceiling.
WESLACO ISD officials told the board and public on Aug. 26 that the district received a "superior achievement" rating under the Texas Financial Integrity Rating System (FIRST), earning 98 out of 100 possible points.
The district presentation said it met most indicators, including three consecutive years of unmodified ("clean") audit opinions, compliance with debt payment terms and no material weaknesses in internal controls. Speaker 2, who delivered the FIRST overview during a public hearing, read the list of 21 indicators used for the rating and explained that several measures are scored on a 0–10 scale while a subset are "ceiling" indicators with capped points.
Officials said the district lost two points under indicator 12, which measures the ratio of future debt requirements to assessed property value, because the bond approved by voters in 2023 increased that ratio above the allowable ceiling. The presenter said the district would have reached 100 points if not for the bond-related ratio change.
The presentation included required transparency disclosures: itemized reimbursements to the superintendent and trustees totaling $4,433.39 for travel, meals and lodging; a trustee disclosed ownership of Vision Source; the superintendent reported no outside income.
Board President Isidoro Nieto and trustees had no further public debate during the hearing. The district said the full FIRST materials and the superintendent's report will be posted on the district website.
The hearing was procedural and informational; no formal board action was taken specifically on the rating during the public hearing portion.
