I’m excited to announce the filing HB 974, a bill adding the online posting of a check registrar as an indicator for the School FIRST Rating Worksheet of the Texas Education Agency.
The FIRST program is designed to grade school districts on their financial integrity. Showing the taxpayers how districts are spending their money by making their check registers available online should absolutely be one of the criteria used by the TEA.
The School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, or School FIRST, a financial accountability system for Texas school districts, was developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in response to legislation passed in 1999.
Transparency should be encouraged at every level of government. It is imperative that we take advantage of the 83rd session to promote transparency and accountability through legislation like HB 974.