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New School Finance Training Added:
Truth in Taxation
Session ID 119721 | May 6, 2026 | 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
TNT laws govern the property tax rate setting process in Texas. This TNT short course will go over the basics of TNT with interactive games and exercises. It will also provide tools that you can use during the rate setting process, including a calendar and a spreadsheet template (so bring your laptop!) on calculating the debt rate.
This session is free to member of the Business Manager Cooperative (BMC).
Cost for non-BMC members is $50
Resources from
Local School District Revenue Options
Thank you for those who attended this weeks TEA District Funding Decisions Tool meeting with Commissioner Morath!
 Resources provided by Texas Education Agency (TEA) from this weeks Local School District Revenue Options training is now available on our School Finance webpage.
These resources consist of are Webinar Recording & Slide deck from the meeting and the District Decision Funding Tool.
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Take a sneak peak of our
26-27 School Finance Commitments
The 26-27 Commitment System will launch on May 13, 2026
The Business Manager Cooperative (BMC) provides Business Managers and Chief Financial Officers with technical assistance and timely updates on School Finance, Federal Program Compliance, PEIMS, and Food and Nutrition Services. The cooperative includes 5 Critical Issue Sessions, 5 Touch Base Sessions, and 4 days of Investment Officer Training.
Participants gain access to over 50 hours of technical assistance and informational sessions during the school year, delivered by experts from the ESC-20 Client Business Services Team, MoakCasey, LLC, and external partners—providing substantial cost savings.
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The School Finance Academy: Foundations is designed specifically for individuals who are new to school finance roles—including new Chief Financial Officers, Business Managers, and aspiring school finance leaders. Whether you are building foundational knowledge or strengthening your confidence in school finance operations, this Academy provides practical, hands-on guidance and a deeper understanding of the processes that support effective financial management in school systems.
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The School Finance Academy: Next Level helps school finance professionals deepen their financial expertise while gaining exposure to essential leadership and communication practices. Participants explore strategies for navigating more complex financial scenarios, strengthening processes, and supporting sound decision-making. At the same time, they are introduced to approaches for communicating effectively with stakeholders and contributing to overall organizational effectiveness.
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First Round of Texas Education Freedom Accounts Awards Announced
(AUSTIN) — Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced the first round of student awards for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program.
Details:
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Who is getting them: 42,600 students are receiving award notices this week.
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The Priority Group: This first round focuses on "Tier 1" applicants - students with qualifying disabilities living households at or below 500% of the federal poverty level, as well as their siblings.
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Distribution: Notifications began on April 22nd and will continue through April 24th.
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts also is releasing a detailed breakdown (PDF) of participating students in the top priority tier. Approximately half of these students previously attended a public school. Two-thirds have a documented disability.
More information about Texas’ school choice program, including a link to express interest in future participation, is available at EducationFreedom.Texas.Gov.
Click here or the button below to view the Official Release.
Texas Health and Human Services Notices
SHARS FFY25 Maximum Cost Allocation Ratio Numerators
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FY 2024 Cost Report: The SHARS Cost Report for Federal Fiscal Year 2024 (October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024) is now available. This report is used to reconcile interim payments with actual costs incurred for providing Medicaid-covered services.
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Mandatory Training: To submit a cost report, district officials or their designated consultants must complete HHSC-approved training.
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Training is required every two years.
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If your district's "certified" person did not attend a 2024 session, they must attend an upcoming 2025 webinar to remain eligible to submit.
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Key Deadlines: Districts should log into the STAIRS (State of Texas Automated Information Reporting System) portal immediately to verify their contact information and check specific submission deadlines to avoid payment recoupment or penalties.
Action Item: Finance officers should verify that their district has at least one staff member with active training credentials and begin gathering payroll and expenditure data for the FY 2024 reporting period.
For questions regarding this notice, contact the HHSC SHARS staff at (512) 730-7400 or by email. LEAs can also contact their assigned School-Based Medicaid Resource and Training (SMRT) team Reimbursement Analyst (RA) by emailing the SMRT mailbox.
Click here or the button below to view the full bulletin.
STEPS Planned System Outage – April 24, 2026 to April 26, 2026
The State of Texas Electronic Provider System (STEPS) will be unavailable from Friday, April 24, 2026, at 5 p.m. to Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 9 p.m. CST due to a planned outage for system updates. External users will not have access to STEPS during this time.
Important Dates/Deadlines:
Additional information about STEPS can be found on the HHSC Provider Finance website, including instructions for submitting a ticket to request assistance or report any user issues
Click here to the button below to view the full bulletin.
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School Finance Template Trainings
Click here or the button below to see the latest improvements MoakCasey made to their Summary of Finance Template.
Template Updates:
- A streamlined data structure means faster performance without the need for a "Lite" version.
- Features the most recent Comptroller tax data (March 10) and SOF student counts (March 23).
- Calculations now use real-time 2024-26 trends and fall PEIMS data for more reliable future forecasting.
- Now includes data through the 2029-30 school year.
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Click here or the button below to see the latest improvements to this Template for Estimating State Aid.
Template Updates:
- This release fixes another issue with that new tab/allotment that was included in Release 9 labeled 'ASA255226_TEC48.257' (see Notes tab).
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Click here or the button below to the latest improvements to TASBO's State Revenue Template.
Template Updates:
- New "Auto-Load" Features for 2025–26 & 2026–27
- Synchronization with TEA & SOF Standards
- Charter-Specific Updates
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