Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District officials reported a C rating and a score of 74 on the Texas Education Agency's Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) first report during a public hearing of the Board of Trustees. The report presented and discussed at the hearing covers 2023-24 financial data (labeled the 2024-25 first rating) and was reviewed by district staff at the board meeting.

Pam Bridal, district staff member, told the board the district earned 74 out of 100 points on 21 FIRST indicators and that the district did not file an appeal of the preliminary rating. "We did a C. We meet standard achievement. We had a score of 74," Bridal said. She said the district's score fell from 76 the prior rating year (based on earlier data).

The district met several key indicators: Bridal said the annual financial report received an unmodified opinion; the district met debt payment terms at fiscal year end; and the total net position in governmental activities (net of pension liabilities) was greater than zero. The district earned full points on the indicators for long-term liabilities ratio and debt-per-$100 of assessed value, Bridal said.

However, Bridal identified several indicators where Uvalde CISD lost points. The largest losses came from liquidity and operating results: the district had 29.93 days of cash on hand in the general fund for 2023-24 and ended that year with a deficit budget, Bridal said. Those results yielded zero points on the cash-on-hand indicator and contributed to an automatic reduction in the district's FIRST score. "We had 29.93 days cash on hand," Bridal said.

The district also lost points (two points) on the administrative cost ratio, Bridal said, noting the district's reported ratio was 0.1183 against a comparison range of 0.1151 to 0.1401 for its enrollment group. The current-assets-to-current-liabilities ratio was 2.36, which cost the district four points on that indicator, Bridal said. Bridal also noted that certain indicators are binary (pass/fail) and that failure to meet deadlines such as annual financial report submission would result in an automatic failing score on those items.

Bridal outlined the FIRST timeline and sources: the FIRST score is compiled from the district's annual financial report (AFR), PEIMS-reported data and data from other governmental entities (for example, the Teacher Retirement System and Texas Workforce Commission). She reminded the board that the data used in the 2024-25 first rating reflect the 2023-24 fiscal year and snapshot dates such as the last Friday in October.

Bridal reported required disclosures in the FIRST appendices: the superintendent's contract is posted on the district website; no outside compensation or gifts were reported for the superintendent or board members for fiscal year 2024; board and superintendent travel for 2023-24 were listed; and business transactions were disclosed. Bridal said two board members, identified in the disclosure as Mr. Fernandez and Mr. Suarez, also performed athletic officiating work during the reporting year, an activity that was disclosed as required.

During a brief public Q&A, an audience member asked whether staff knew the district's per-day cost to operate; Bridal said she would determine how the district calculates that figure and follow up. A separate community question asked what the cash-on-hand target is; Bridal said TEA recommends 90 days and that a common minimum benchmark is 60 days for the general fund. Bridal and other participants clarified that the cash-on-hand and many FIRST indicators apply only to the general fund and that some data lag by a year.

No appeal of the preliminary FIRST rating was filed, Bridal said. After the presentation and brief questions, the meeting moved to adjournment. Trustee Flores moved to adjourn and Trustee Russo seconded; a motion was recorded at the meeting and no roll-call vote tally was provided in the transcript.

Why this matters: FIRST ratings are intended to provide public transparency on school-district financial management. A lower score can prompt additional oversight and requires public reporting steps; the district also must hold and publicize a hearing on the FIRST results within the statutory timeline following the final rating notice, Bridal said. The hearing gives the public and the board a chance to review the indicators behind the score and the disclosures required by law.

The district indicated it will continue working on its AFR and related financial management tasks throughout the fiscal year. Bridal closed the presentation and the board accepted questions before adjourning the public hearing.