McKinney, Texas – Once again, McKinney ISD is at the forefront of financial transparency among school districts. MISD is one of the first eight school districts in Texas to earn the Transparency Star Award in the area of Traditional Finances from state Comptroller Glenn Hegar.

The Transparency Star program, which launched in March, replaces former Comptroller Susan Combs’ Leadership Circle recognition program for financial transparency. At the time, Combs’ program brought a new level of transparency across Texas by calling on local entities to make specific financial information available online.

Under Combs’ program, MISD earned the highest possible designation for six straight years.

Now, under the new program, MISD has earned the Transparency Star achievement for Traditional Finances, which unlocks eligibility to apply for recognition in four other areas: Contracts and Procurement, Economic Development, Public Pensions and Debt Obligations.

“This office has always led the way in Texas’ transparency efforts, but true transparency is constantly evolving, which is why we are shining a bright light on additional areas of local government debt and spending,” Hegar said in a March press release. “While our initial transparency programs have been hugely successful, I’m proud to recognize local governments bringing more transparency to Texas taxpayers.”

According to the comptroller’s office, simply posting information is no longer sufficient; the chief aims of Hegar’s initiative are to not only provide access to a wider range of information but also to make it easier for the taxpayer to understand and analyze that information.

Thus, Hegar’s office calls for local governments and school districts to include not only items such as finance summaries of expenditures and revenues but also, for example, to provide visualizations of that information.

Required pieces such as budgets, annual financial reports and check registers must provide specific information and make them searchable and organized in a way that allows users to perform analysis on raw budget data.

As far as MISD is concerned, the majority of this information has already been in place on the district’s website, but the Business Office worked diligently this spring to integrate additional components—such as graphs and additional check register details—on the district’s Business Services page to meet the new criteria and carry on the effort to offer the highest level of transparency for our community.

“It is with a great deal of pride that McKinney ISD receives recognition for our efforts in fiscal transparency and fiscal prudence,” MISD Chief Financial Officer Jason Bird said. “Having our efforts recognized at the state level should be a source of pride both for the district and our residents.”

For more information on the program, including guidelines and qualification criteria, visit the Comptroller’s Transparency Stars website.

The public can view McKinney ISD’s financial information by clicking here.

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If you need additional assistance with the content on this page, please contact MISD Communications Department team member Shane Mauldin by phone at 469-302-4007 or by email here .