An Act of Deliberate Deception
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Information is currency for democracy.
- Thomas Jefferson
A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. - Steve Martin Education is unique among consumer products; when it fails to work as advertised, it's the customer that gets labeled as defective. - Kevin Killion
Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtues consistently. You can't be consistently kind or fair or humane or generous, not without courage, because if you don't have it, sooner or later you will stop and say, "The threat is too much. The difficulty is ...too high. The challenge is too great. ~ Maya Angelou
| How Local Control of Public Schools became Local Chaos
Public Hearing on Annual Financial and Compliance Report AFC has been replaced with Public Hearing on “FIRST” (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas)
From the August 17, 2007 Texas Education Agency “Notification Letter” “Within two months after receipt of the final School FIRST rating, each school district will announce and hold a public meeting to distribute a financial management report that explains the district’s performance under each of the 21 indicators for the current[*] and prior year and the district’s rating. The first of two notices in the newspaper to inform the taxpayers of the meeting may not be more than 30 days prior to or less than 14 days prior to the public meeting in accordance with Title 19, TAX, Section 109.1005.” [*”current” ratings aren’t available until two weeks following present fiscal year] Auditors present findings of fiscal year 2007 two weeks after end of 2008 fiscal year AFCR for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2008 must be finalized and submitted to TEA in January 2009. There is no legal requirement that this document be publicly reviewed. 21 “INDICATORS” USED FOR “FIRST” TELL TAXPAYERS NOTHING ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF THE SCHOOL’S FINANCIAL RECORDKEEPING 1. Was the total fund balance less reserved fund balance greater than zero in the general fund? 2. Were there no disclosures in the AFCR and/or other sources of information concerning default on bonded indebtedness obligations? 3. Was the AFCR filed within one month after the January 28th deadline? 4. Was there an unqualified opinion in AFCR? 5. Did the AFCR not disclose any instance(s) of material weaknesses in internal control? 6. Was the percent of total tax collections (including delinquent) greater than 96%? 7. Did the comparisons of PEIMS data to like information in AFCR result in an aggregate variance of less than 4 percent of expenditures per fund type (data quality measure)? 8. Were debt-related expenditures [formula here for conversion of numbers to a percentage less than 2%]? 9. Was there no disclosure in the AFCR of material noncompliance? 10. Did the district have full accreditation status in relation to financial management practices (e.g., no master or monitor assigned)? 11. Was the percent of operating expenditures expended for instruction more than 54%? 12. Was the aggregate of budgeted expenditures and other uses less than the aggregate of total revenues, other resources and fund balance in general fund? 13. . . . Were construction projects adequately financed . . .? 14. Was the ratio of cash and investments to deferred revenues . . . more than 1:1? 15. Was the administrative cost ratio less than the standard in state law? 16. Was the ratio of students to teachers within the ranges shows below according to district size? 17. Was the ratio of students to total staff within the ranges shown below according to district size? 18. Was the total fund balance in the general fund more than 50% and less than 150% . . . [of worksheet]? 19. Was the decrease in undesignated unreserved fund balance less than 20% over two fiscal years . . .? 20. Was the aggregate total of cash and investments in the general fund more than $0? 21. Were investment earnings in all funds more than $15 per student?
WHY IS THE EDUCATION INDUSTRY HOSTILE TO THE PUBLIC REVIEW OF ACTUAL FINANCIAL DATA?
For more information on PEIMS data collection and the education industry’s conspiracy against taxpayers, go to the "PEIMS for Dick and Jane" page of this site ... or call Nancy Kessling @ 713-534-2939 |
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