HPISD Earns Top Rating for Financial Management

Highland Park ISD has earned top marks in the 2023-24 report from the state’s financial accountability rating system.

The district received an A grade for “Superior Achievement,” garnering 92 out of 100 possible total points from the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, according to information presented at the Board of Trustees’ Dec. 17 meeting.

HPISD earned perfect scores in all but one of the categories where points were allocated.

Its received 2 out of 10 in the category “current assets to current liabilities ratio for short-term debt,” but the district would have received a perfect score if not for the state’s bookkeeping. The district’s fiscal year ends on June 30, which is prior to the date when it makes its annual recapture payment, explained assistant superintendent for business services Scott Drillette.

That meant its over $107 million payment appeared as a liability on its books in the report. If the state had not counted the recapture dollars as a liability, the district would have received 10 out of 10, Drillette said.

“It is frustrating when you know that you’ve done everything. It’s like you get 100 in a class, but you’re only going to get recognized for a 92,” he said. 

Also during the meeting, the Highland Park ISD Board of Trustees:

• Approved a 2025-2026 Academic Calendar with a first day of school on Wednesday, Aug. 13, and last day on Friday, May 22. The calendar was favored by the majority of respondents to a November survey sent to HPISD parents, faculty and staff. Click HERE to read more about the calendar.
• Heard from the student members of Highland Park High School’s Honor Code Committee. The students have drafted revisions to the honor code that remind their peers to strive for a culture of integrity, community, and leadership. “We saw cheating in our school that we didn’t like, and we wanted to see it decrease,” committee member Boone Bonfield told the board, “and to see a step forward towards a culture that was more centered around honesty.”
• Approved an agreement with VLK Architects, LLC, to provide services for projects included in the districts $137.3 million bond, and an order authorizing the issuance of bonds.