YISD releases FIRST scores
Yoakum Independent School District (YISD) unveiled its financial accountability rating system numbers on Monday, or Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) data, as it is now known by those in the Texas Education Agency.
The district announced at the Oct. 2 meeting it made a grade of C, meaning they performed at about average when it came to meeting the state’s standards.
School FIRST reporting aims to improve Texas public school accountability by adding several new layers of transparency to the financial reporting practices schools are required to track and maintain.
Once schools build a few years of data within the new FIRST system scales, they will be able to access real costs analysis for most every program they provide to students.
Elementary reading and math programs have literally hundreds of programs they can currently choose from to improve various aspects of their students’ overall performance on standardized tests.
While everyone wants kids to do well, the reason there are so many programs is most come with varying price tags that can prove quite substantial— especially when it comes to outfitting an entire grade level of students. Assessing the value of such programs— what they cost in terms of dollars and cents versus the benefit they provide— can prove tricky to determine, both in the immediate learning process and in longer term retention as students move to more complicated applications and skills in higher grades.
FIRST helps districts better determine the values. After approving the state report, the district directors also voted to amend their Gifted and Talented (GT) Handbook.
“This update is a policy focusing on our transfer students,” Assistant Superintendent Chad Rothbauer said. “Basically, all it is saying is that when a student comes in from a different district and they are labeled as GT in that district, a student must first meet Yoakum GT requirements. We use the state requirement for the GT screening process, and other districts don’t. Now, when they come in, we’ll rescreen them.”
Board members were informed about an upcoming fundraiser for the Junior High Golf Team Saturday, Nov. 18. They still need sponsors and teams of up to four people.
Red Ribbon Week will be scheduled for the Primary School campus and the Primary Annex.
Other items included:
•The report of the tax assessor and collector showed maintenance and operations dollars collected were at $11.6 million, and interest and sinking was at $4.6 million.
That represents roughly a 98% collection rate, up from 97% at this same time last year
•Student enrollment showed 1,488 students, with 495 students in High School, 285 Junior High, 299 Intermediate, 194 Primary, and 215 Primary Annex.
Last year’s enrollment report at this time showed a total of 1,536 students.
•The Bulldog Band is headed to district competition later this month.
•YISD has appointed Walt Hairell as a candidate for the Lavaca County Appraisal District. Nominees for DeWitt County are still being taken.