Combs, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Since 2010, the Comptroller’s Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) has produced ratings of one
to five stars for Texas school districts and campuses. Created in response to 2009 legislation, we base these ratings on operational expenditures (the input) and academic progress (the output).
For its spending component, FAST uses operational expenditures — funded in large part by a district’s maintenance and operations (M&O) tax — which is spending directly related to teaching students.
Many school districts also levy an interest and sinking (I&S) tax to pay off debt issued for capital purchases (primarily school facilities). This construction survey is an effort to provide Texas school districts
and their taxpayers an opportunity to compare side-by-side new school construction costs over a multi-year sample.
