| Action Required |
October 20, 1999
To The Superintendent Addressed:
Subject: Financial Management Training
Your attention is called to the training that is currently being offered at the regional education service centers (ESCs) on the Financial Excellence Indicator System of Texas - Information about Education Resources (FEISTIER). The purpose of the FEISTIER is to facilitate informed decisions by public school superintendents and business officials in the management of a district's financial affairs. Training sessions on the FEISTIER are provided free of charge for first-time trainees at each ESC between now and early spring. Please contact your regional ESC for dates and times.
The FIESTIER was developed as a collaborative effort by the Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC), the Texas Association of Business Officials (TASBO), and the Texas Education Agency (TEA). It is an interactive software program that is currently provided only to those who participate in the training. It is designed to provide a wide variety of analyses of a district's fiscal practices, including comparisons with other districts' fiscal practices.
The FEISTIER concept originated with TBEC in response to an increasing interest from the business community in the fiscal accountability of public schools. It began as a "report card" but has since evolved into a powerful support tool for public school finance and operations decisions. The TASBO is providing the training, with the goal of training at least one superintendent/business official in each district by early spring of 2000.
You are encouraged to participate in this training, and to provide feedback for future improvements in the program. The training will also provide an orientation to the School Financial Data Mart, which is currently available on the Internet, as well as future plans for training opportunities.
Should you have questions regarding FEISTIER or the training process, please contact either John Stevens of TBEC at (512) 480-8232, Gwen Santiago of TASBO at (512) 462-1711, extension 213, or Ed Flathouse of TEA at (512) 463-5899. The work you are doing for the school children of Texas is appreciated. I look forward to working with you as we continue to build the best public education system in the nation.
Sincerely,
Jim Nelson
Commissioner of Education
For further information on this topic, contact Ed Flathouse of TEA at (512) 463-5899