Pearland - Friendswood Edition | November 2023

Education

BY JAMES T. NORMAN

Site of roof collapse to open next year Friendswood ISD officials expect a gym, where a construction worker died when a roof collapsed in June, to be demolished and

Pearland ISD receives ‘A’ financial grade Pearland ISD received an “A” rating from the state of Texas for its financial transparency. It’s the highest rating available to school districts, according to district documents. Two-minute impact The Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, also called FIRST, is issued by the Texas Education Agency, or TEA. FIRST looks at a number of financial factors, such as revenue and expense, transparency and district costs. Out of a possible score of 100, the district scored a 92, according to district documents. Of those points, 25 are automatic. While the score is for the district’s 2022-23 rating, it is based on data and results from the district’s FY 2021-22 budget, according to district documents.

District exempts itself from vaping law Pearland ISD will be exempt from part of a state law that requires officials to place students caught with vape devices into a district alternative education program. The gist Citing a lack of seats in their DAEP as well as a desire for “progressive discipline,” district officials sought an exemption. “Punishing [students] harsher than what they would be for just a normal cigarette for the same thing, lumping everyone into one category, makes it more difficult.” SEAN MURPHY, PEARLAND ISD BOARD PRESIDENT

Financial grade

Student enrollment

Projected enrollment

40K

Score out of 10

30K

Number of days of cash on hand

20K

10

10K

Current assets against current liabilities

6

0

reopened in fall 2024. Two-minute impact

General fund revenue against expenditures

10

The site of the gym at Friendswood High School will be demolished around Thanks- giving, Executive Director of Communication Dayna Owen said in an email. The plan will give officials a chance to demolish the area while students are away for Thanksgiving break, Owen said. In July, officials announced the possible cause of the roof collapse was due to a load-bearing wall being removed, which was found after an investigation from the contractor, ICI, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

NOTE: AISD ENROLLMENT DATA IS BASED ON PROJECTIONS IN OCTOBER. SOURCES: ALVIN ISD, ZONDA EDUCATION/COMMUNITY IMPACT

Long-term solvency

8

AISD to continue seeing enrollment growth Alvin ISD’s enrollment has increased by more than 1,000 students in each of the past few years, but projections show that trend could slow down, according to a presentation at the district’s Oct. 10 board meeting.

The overview The district going into the next decade can expect average enrollment to hover anywhere from around 600 to 800 new students every year. That’s down from recent years but still shows the district growing more than neighboring districts. Despite the possible slowdown, a number of the district’s schools are still expected to exceed capacity in the coming years, according to the data.

Future debt against assessed property value

8

Administrative cost ratio

10

External audit results

10

0 2

4

6

8

10

SOURCE: PEARLAND ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

SHADOW CREEK 11023 Shadow Creek Pkwy (281) 977-1027

PEARLAND 10555 Pearland Pkwy (713) 987-9205

ALMEDA 11130 Gulf Fwy (713) 910-3941

FRIENDSWOOD 3126 FM 528 (281) 648-5473

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