Dr. James Terry

Dr. James Terry serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Dallas Independent School District with approximately $2 billion in Revenue. He has been serving the state's second largest school district since 2011. Since his tenure the District’s fund balance has grown from $139 million to over $357 million. The District has received the Certificate of Excellence in Financial reporting from both GFOA and ASBO. The District has also received the Distinguished Budget Presentation award from GFOA and ASBO. The District has the highest ranking from TEA, Texas Education Agency, for FIRST the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas. Under his leadership the District received the State Comptroller Platinum award for Financial Transparency. The District has received upgrades from all three rating agencies. In the last few years the District has had 2 refunding’s of $356 million (series 2014 A) and $235 million (Series 2015). The District has also issued $143 million in QSC Bonds (series 2013) and Maintenance Tax Notes $75 million (series 2015). The District has also just received bond authorization for $1.6 billion from the voters with a 60% approval rate. As the District’s ERCO (E-rate Compliance Officer) the FCC has released the District from its compliance agreement. Prior to Dallas ISD, Dr. Terry worked for ME Allison and Associates in San Antonio and has held both series 7 and 66 licenses. Dr. Terry served for more than 20 years in multiple business service roles in North East ISD (San Antonio) and is an expert in the field of public finance. Dr. Terry is a previous board member of the Texas Association of School Business Officials. Dr. Terry holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Allegheny College, a Master of Arts degree from Sonoma State University, and a Ph.D. from Saybrook University in San Francisco and completed a post doctoral program in Finance and Accounting at the University of Florida. Dr. Terry continues to pursue education through certifications and endeavors including Certified Public Funds Investment Manager (CPFIM), Registered Texas School Business Administrator (RTSBA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Six Sigma (General Electric Management Training Program) Black Belt Certification, and Academically Qualified by the AACSB. Dr. Terry utilizes this pursuit of lifelong learning to contribute to the district as well as the community.