- Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District
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EMS ISD Receives an “A” for Financial Accountability
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD is again being recognized for superior financial accountability.
The district received a rating of “A” for Superior Achievement under the School Financial Accountability Rating System of Texas (FIRST) for the 2021-2022 school year. The Superior Achievement rating is the state’s highest.
A public hearing about the FIRST rating took place at the EMS ISD Board of Education meeting held on Monday, November 14, 2022. Rob Welch, the District's Chief Financial Officer, explained that the high rating means EMS ISD is complying with the State’s operating guidelines in its use of tax dollars. This includes both the Maintenance and Operations budget, which comes from property taxes, and the bond expenditures, which come from the sale of bonds approved by voters. Those funds allow the District to maintain its existing schools along with building new schools to accommodate growth.
“We are very pleased to earn this rating for our district and community again,” said Welch. “The Superior Achievement rating should give our taxpayers and parents confidence that we are using the money we receive in an open and transparent manner according to the budget approved each year by our Board of Education.”
This is the 20th year of School FIRST and the 19th year EMS ISD has earned the highest rating possible.
The School FIRST accountability system is mandated by the Texas Legislature and administered by the Texas Education Agency. All school districts and charters must report their financial accountability ratings to parents and taxpayers.
The 2021-2022 FIRST Ratings are available for public review on the EMS ISD website.