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Tyler ISD earns perfect 100 on Texas FIRST fiscal rating, CFO says district is solvent
Summary
Tyler ISD’s chief financial officer told the board the district scored 100 out of 100 on the Texas School Financial Integrity Rating System (FIRST) for the 2023–24 reporting year; the presentation covered indicators including audit opinion, debt ratios, ADA projections and internal controls.
Casey Russell, Tyler ISD’s chief financial officer, told the Board of Trustees that the district scored 100 out of a possible 100 points on the Texas School Financial Integrity Rating System (FIRST) for the Sept. 1, 2023–Aug. 31, 2024 rating period. "I am happy to tell you that we scored a 100 out of a total 100 points this year," Russell said.
Russell walked trustees through the FIRST indicators, saying the district received an unmodified (clean) audit opinion, made bond payments on schedule and made timely payroll- and benefits-related payments to TRS, TWC and the IRS. She said the district’s combined net position was positive and that revenue exceeded expenditures for the year.
On liquidity, Russell told the board the district’s cash-on-hand measure exceeded the threshold used by the state’s sliding-scale indicator, reporting roughly 150% in the presentation and earning full points. She said the current assets-to-liabilities ratio was above the required 'greater than 3' threshold, and the district received full credit on that test as well.
Russell said long-term liabilities were "just under 60%" this year; she noted that last year a 0.4 percentage-point difference had cost the district two points on the FIRST score and that continued bond payments should lower the ratio in future years. The district’s administrative-cost ratio was reported at 5.74% for 2023–24, below the standard cited in the presentation (8.55%), which earned additional points.
On attendance reporting, Russell described how pupil-projection and average daily attendance (ADA) variance is evaluated. She said the district’s ADA variance was under 1% for the rating period and explained that, with the district’s new Ed-Fi reporting, ADA is now reported daily and the state updates summary finance results after PEIMS resubmissions.
Russell also reported no material weaknesses in internal controls and no material noncompliance findings from the external auditor for the past two years. She confirmed required public postings — including the superintendent’s contract and expense-reimbursement information — were on the district website.
"So in conclusion, this year, we met all 11 indicators with 100 out of a possible 100 points," Russell said, summarizing the district’s designation of "superior achievement."
Board members asked follow-up questions about the superintendent-contract posting requirement and about the methods used to project ADA; Russell and other staff explained auditors can verify postings and that ADA reporting cadence has changed to daily PEIMS updates. The board did not take any formal action tied to the FIRST presentation; the presentation concluded with the district's superior-achievement designation.
