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MISD Says State Provides Conflicting Critiques
MISD Says State Provides Conflicting Critiques 9/25/12
CBS 7 Reporter
smurray@cbs7.com
September 25, 2012
Midland, TX - West Texas school leaders say they are hearing conflicting critiques from the state.
The state mandated accountability systems release performance ratings every year in academics, achievements and spending. According to one agency, Midland ISD is not meeting the mark when it comes to financial responsibility. But to another agency, the district is rated at the highest level in that same category.
School accountability ratings provide transparency and pull back the curtain to reveal the true colors of school districts across the state.
"In my business we have to be accountable to the people we serve," explains Midland ISD Superintendent Dr. Ryder Warren
But Dr. Warren says this year the ratings are not an accurate reflection of their progress. In fact, he says, the agencies' results don't match up.
"On one day we were pretty much the worst on one day we were the best," he claims.
The State Comptroller released The Financial Allocation Study for Texas, or FAST, which rates academic and financial progress. On a scale of 1-5, MISD received 1.5 stars.
But just one day later the Texas Education Agency released a rating of "superior achievement" in financial responsibility; the highest evaluation possible.
"That frustrates me,” Dr. Warren says. “It has to be a system that works together with us rather than against us."
Dr. Warren says now it's up to the taxpayer to do some research and come up with an evaluation of their own.
The comptroller’s office says the two systems cannot easily be compared because FAST also includes academic progress in addition to financial. The TEA agrees saying most of their results for the FIRST system come from audited data that is usually from the previous year.