Groveton I. S. D. earns state’s highest fiscal accountability rating
Groveton News - October 2007

   Groveton Independent School District officials announced that the district received a rating of “Superior Achievement” under Texas’s Schools FIRST financial accountability rating system.  The superior Achievement rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of Groveton I. S. D.’s financial management and reporting system.
  The Schools FIRST (Financial Accountability Rating System of Texas) is a financial accountability system of Texas school districts developed by the Texas Education Agency in response to Senate bill 975 of the 701 Texas Legislature in 1999.  The primary goal of Schools FIRST is to achieve quality performance in the management of school district; financial resources, a goal made more significant due to the complexity of accounting associated with Texas’ school finance system.
   “We are very pleased with Groveton I. S. D.’s Schools FIRST rating,” said I. S. D. Superintendent Joe Driskell, “as it shows that our district is making the most of our taxpayers’ dollars. This rating shows that Groveton’s schools are accountable not only for student learning, but also for achieving these results cost-effectively and efficiently.”
   The Schools FIRST accountability rating system assigns one of four financial accountability rating to Texas school districts, with the highest being “Superior Achievement, “followed by “Above-Standard Achievement,” Standard Ach-ievement” and “Substandard Achievement.” Districts with serious data quality problems may receive the additional rating of “Suspended-Data Quality.” Districts that receive the “Substandard Achievement” or “Suspended-Data Quality” ratings under Schools FIRST must file a corrective action plan with the Texas Education Agency.