1. (a) The criteria selected by the Texas Education Agency for use in an online financial information tool to place school districts and open-enrollment charter schools in fiscal peer groups include:

   1. (1) whether the school district is eligible to receive the sparsity adjustment; and

   2. (2) student enrollment levels, which are determined by districtwide enrollment of:

      1. (A) 1 through 499 students;
      2. (B) 500 through 999 students;
      3. (C) 1,000 through 1,599 students;
      4. (D) 1,600 through 4,999 students;
      5. (E) 5,000 through 24,999 students; or
      6. (F) 25,000 or more students.
2. (b) Open-enrollment charter schools will be placed in fiscal peer groups that do not receive the sparsity adjustment.
3. (c) The establishment of fiscal peer groups is for informational purposes only and has no effect upon a school district's or an open-enrollment charter school's financial accountability rating.
4. (d) Fiscal peer groups will be reevaluated on an ongoing basis.

Source Note:The provisions of this §109.4001 adopted to be effective August 11, 2019, 44 TexReg 4046.