JACKSONVILLE —
Jacksonville Independent School District added another bragging point to its growing list of good news items Wednesday — the district was one of only 43 statewide to receive a five-star FAST rating from the Texas comptroller’s office.
“I think that anytime you rank in the top 43 out of over 1,200 districts in the state you are doing something right,” said Dr. Joe Wardell, JISD superintendent, “The results of the report reflect the focus of this district which is to concentrate on academic achievement for students and to make sure that every dollar we spend contributes to that end.”
The Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) methodology is a first-of-its-kind system that ensures fair and unbiased comparisons of school districts and campuses, according to a press release from the Texas comptroller’s office.
The program was developed to measure student performance vs. district spending per student. The higher student performance and lower per-student spending, the higher the FAST rating, with a five-star rating at the highest end of the scale.
“The success the district has experienced is due in part to the great working relationship that we have we the various community groups, the city, chamber, economic development corporation, and the local colleges,” said Wardell, “The entire community works together to do everything possible to do what’s best for kids.”
The FAST programs was developed after the 2009 Legislature directed the Comptroller’s office to develop a method to compare school districts on a level playing field and to determine which districts and campuses allocate their financial resources in a manner that contributes to high academic achievement and cost-effective operations.
FAST was reviewed by multiple in-state and out-of-state experts to validate its methods and findings.
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JISD gets 5-star FAST rating
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