Education
BY DAVE MANNING
FBISD gets ‘A’ rating for scal management The Texas Education Agency has again awarded Fort Bend ISD an “A” rating for its nancial management of the district’s instructional resources in the Texas Schools Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas for the 2022-23 budget year. The TEA rating system, also known as Texas Schools FIRST, revealed the positive nancial responsibility report to the board at the Nov. 13 meeting. The gist The TEA’s highest ratings are reserved for districts that “exemplify high quality nancial management,” the agency stated in a news release. The TEA rewards practices such as maintaining a 90-day fund balance in reserves to continue paying personnel and vendors for 90 days in the event of a scal crisis.
No human remains found at future school site A second survey has found no evidence of human remains or past burial sites on the property for Fort Bend ISD’s new elementary school, according to a Nov. 10 news release from the district. This comes ve years after the remains of 95 individuals were found on the site of FBISD’s James Reese Career and Technical Center. Activ- ists have expressed concern about the possibility of graves being discovered at the school site, as it once housed a prison farm in the late 1800s. The new school will be near Harlem Road and Harvest Garden Boulevard in the Harvest Green community. Before closing on the purchase of land, district o cials hired a rm, Terracon, to conduct an extensive survey of the site. Some context The initial archaeological survey conducted in August came back negative for human remains.
“The artifacts we found are things that you would usually nd, like a fork and a bottle
... and other things like that, ... but nothing in comparison to what we saw last time.” STEVEN BASSETT, FORT BEND ISD DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT
Ahead of the second survey in late October, Deputy Superintendent Steven Bassett said the district was being extremely cautious. Next steps The Texas Historical Commission now has to review Terracon’s nal report, which may take up to 30 days. Construction can’t begin until the district receives authorization from the commission. Funded by the district’s $1.26 billion May bond referendum, the $46 million elementary school is set to open in August 2026, according to the release.
Lower your property taxes with Texas Protax Experts working to get you the property tax reduction you deserve
Your Texas property tax experts, helping you lower your property tax bill for 35 years
12
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook