TEMPLE, Texas — The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) has recognized Temple Independent School District with the organization’s Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting (COE). ASBO International’s COE recognizes districts that have met the program’s high standards for financial reporting and transparency. The school district earned the Certificate of Excellence for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended 2025, marking the seventh consecutive year TISD has been recognized with the COE. This makes Temple ISD the only school district in this region to win this financial recognition for seven straight years.
Temple ISD’s ACFR features financial information, schedules, the annual audit report, and notes. In addition to those financial reports, districts must also submit an introductory informational statement describing a wide range of topics and a detailed statistical package that provides background for the financial report. The introductory narrative highlights everything from the district’s successes and major initiatives to community economic conditions, to access to health care and post-graduate educational opportunities. The statistical section includes information ranging from number of staff to student population, to tax rates and property values covering ten years of financial information for the district. The submission is a collaborative effort by the entire district finance staff. The TISD finance staff will be presented with the Certificate of Excellence at the TISD school board meeting in November.
“Consistency is important in organizational outcomes and receiving this award seven years straight demonstrates a pattern of meeting our community’s financial accountability and transparency standards,” said Dr. Bobby Ott, superintendent of Temple schools. “Producing student opportunities and successful academic outcomes in an efficient manner is important to any taxpaying member of our community. Temple ISD has done that consistently.”
Participation in the COE program highlights a school district’s dedication to financial accountability and transparency. Applicants submit their ACFR for review by a team of financial professionals who provide constructive feedback to improve future documents. Districts that meet the program’s stringent requirements are awarded the Certificate of Excellence, a distinction that also supports bond rating and continuing bond disclosure processes.
“Our annual comprehensive financial report tells the story of how the resources entrusted to us by our community support our schools, teachers, and opportunities for students,” said Brandy Stanford, assistant superintendent of finance for Temple ISD. “Earning this recognition for the seventh consecutive year reflects our finance team’s commitment to telling that story with accuracy, transparency, and integrity.”
The Temple ISD Finance Department has now been recognized on the International level (ASBO), the National level (Government Finance Officers Association), and State level (TEA FIRST ratings), for seven consecutive years. To learn more about the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting program, visit asbointl.org/COE.