7 campuses identified for improvement plans
Four elementary schools, two middle schools and a high school school have been identified as needing a state-required campus improvement plan.
According to Chief of Staff Brandy Baker, a targeted improvement plan, or TIP, is required when a campus receives its first "unacceptable" rating from the Texas Education Agency's accountability rating system or the federal rating system.
A turnaround plan, or TAP, is required when unacceptable performance continues for multiple years. These plans involve more intensive strategies and additional state oversight, Baker said.
Four campuses were identified for TIPs and three campuses for TAPs, although Baker said Pflugerville Middle School was identified for a TIP due to their participation in a LASO Cycle 3 grant; not because of campus performance.
All of the plans are aligned with TEA requirements and developed with stakeholder input, she said.
PfISD has utilized the ACE model before, resulting in campus improvements, trustee Renae Mitchell said.
"Now, we've got to do sustainability," Mitchell said. "I pray we have some lessons learned. ... When we do the ACE model we get grant money to help us with that, and when that money goes away, we see what happens."
The board later approved the submittal of the improvement plans to TEA during the consent agenda.
District receives 'superior achievement' financial rating
PfISD received 96 out of a possible 100 points from the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, or FIRST, for Fiscal Year 2023-24.
FIRST was implemented by the TEA in 2003 as a means to measure the financial performance of school districts, Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Land said.
The system first underwent major changes in 2021, and the revised system has 21 indicators including critical indicators, financial competence indicators and indicators to gauge the district's ability to be fiscally sound. Of these:
- 10 indicators are scored on a pass/fail basis
- 8 indicators are scored out of ten possible points
- 2 indicators are scored out of five possible points
- 1 indicator was not scored for FY 2023-24
The district also received full points for the two indicators scored out of five possible points, which include average daily attendance projection variance and if required financial information was posted to the district website.
In order to receive maximum points for the "cash on hand" indicator, the district needs at least 90 days of operating fund balance, Land said. At the end of FY 2023-24, the district had 84 days.
Land also said it is not uncommon for districts who frequently issue debt to not receive maximum points on the liabilities to assets ratio indicator.
"Year after year, like many trustees have said, we're trying to accomplish more with less and less," trustee Chevonne Lorigo-Johst said. "It is a testament that we are doing everything we possibly can as a community and a district to try to keep our dollars close to the classroom, close to our students, and supporting our teachers. ... I understand how challenging that is and how difficult that can be in these times to hold reserves of any kind with the amount of funding and uncertainty we have coming from the federal level."
