(TEXAS) – All seven Harmony Public Schools districts received “Superior” A+ scores from the Texas Educational Agency on the agency’s annual FIRST financial accountability ratings, the TEA announced.
Created by the 77th Texas Legislature in 2001, the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) is designed to encourage public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes.
The FIRST ratings are calculated using 15 financial indicators, such as administrative cost expenditures; the accuracy of a district or charter’s financial information submitted to TEA; and any financial vulnerabilities or material weaknesses in internal controls as determined by an external auditor.
Harmony’s district-by-district scores are:
- Harmony Public Schools-Central Texas (Austin, Pflugerville, Cedar Park): 100
- Harmony Public Schools-Houston North (Houston, Bryan, Cypress, North Katy): 100
- Harmony Public Schools-Houston South (Houston): 96
- Harmony Public Schools-Houston West (Houston, South Katy, Sugar Land, Beaumont): 100
- Harmony Public Schools-North Texas Greater DFW, Waco): 96
- Harmony Public Schools-South Texas (San Antonio, Laredo, Brownsville): 96
- Harmony Public Schools-West Texas(El Paso, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa): 100
To ensure effective, efficient and ethical use of all public funds entrusted to it, Harmony practices a number of financial safeguards as part of its regular operations. Among these are regular independent financial audits from third-party accounting firms and regular participation in its purchasing process from the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO).
In January 2024, Harmony became the first Texas charter school to earn TASBO’s prestigious Award of Excellence in Financial Management. Harmony was also the first public charter to win TASBO’s Award of Merit for Purchasing Operations.
Harmony Public Schools is a Texas-born, Texas-wide public charter school system with more than 60 campuses serving PreK-Grade 12 students in 23 cities across the state, including Greater Houston, DFW, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Waco, Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, Bryan, Beaumont, and the Rio Grande Valley. Harmony’s curriculum places a heavy focus on STEM skills, Character Education, project-based learning, and college readiness.
Harmony Public Schools is currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year for both students and team members.