Commissioner of Education Mike Morath announced on Feb. 16 that Kara Belew will serve as Deputy Commissioner of Finance for the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Ms. Balew will oversee and manage three key TEA divisions: Permanent School Fund; School Finance; and Agency Finance. She reports directly to the Commissioner.
“Kara brings a tremendous amount of experience to this critical position in the agency,” said Commissioner Morath. “Kara also shares my commitment of effectively utilizing taxpayer dollars to assure we are supporting students and educators in classrooms across our state.”
Ms. Balew previously served as the Statewide Budget Director for Governor Greg Abbott. In addition to her work as budget director, Kara served as Senior Counsel and Advisor to Attorney General Abbott, as well as Director of Financial Accountability and Senior Education Advisor to Governor Rick Perry.
She graduated with honors from Southern Methodist University with degrees in Accounting and Political Science. After graduation, she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, L.L.P., as a Senior Associate/C.P.A. on major public accounts. She earned her law degree with honors from the University of Texas Law School and went on to serve a two-year law clerkship with the Supreme Court of Texas. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
