Lufkin Independent School District officials announced at a public hearing tonight that the district received a rating of “A” for “Superior Achievement” under Texas’ School FIRST financial accountability rating system. The “Superior Achievement” rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of Lufkin ISD’s financial management and reporting system.

This is the 18th year of School FIRST (Financial Accountability Rating System of Texas), a financial accountability system for Texas school districts developed by the Texas Education Agency in response to Senate Bill 875 of the 76th Texas Legislature in 1999 and amendments under House Bill 5, 83rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2013. The primary goal of School FIRST is to achieve quality performance in the management of school districts’ financial resources, a goal made more significant due to the complexity of accounting associated with Texas’ school finance system.

“We are very pleased with Lufkin ISD’s School FIRST rating,” said Lufkin ISD Superintendent Lynn Torres. “This rating shows that our district is making the most of our taxpayers’ dollars. This rating shows that Lufkin’s schools are accountable not only for student learning, but also for achieving these results cost-effectively and efficiently.”

The Texas Education Agency assigned one of four financial accountability ratings to Texas school districts, with the highest being “A” for “Superior Achievement.” Lufkin ISD has achieved the highest rating for 16 prior years.