CISD adopts tax hike, triggers election
Clarendon ISD Trustees unanimously adopted a tax increase last Tuesday, April 30, and automatically triggered a June 1 election for voters to approve or deny the increase.
The new ad valorem rate of $1.17 per $100 valuation represents a 13-cent increase over the current rate of $1.04, which is the highest the state allows school districts to set without voter approval.
CISD Superintendent Monty Hysinger opened a public hearing prior to the trustees’ vote with an in-depth presentation explaining the school’s projected $434,960 budget deficit for the 2013-2014 school year, which he attributed to cuts in state funding and declining enrollment numbers. The school district has an ad on page eight of this week’s Enterprise explaining the need for the tax increase.
If approved by voters, the $1.17 rate is expected to generate $165,570 in local revenues, triggering an additional $145,228 in state funds, and ultimately bringing in a total of $310,798 in new money.
Fifteen citizens attended the public hearing, and several individuals questioned board members and school administrators on a wide range of issues that focused on both financial concerns and a perceived lack of communication between the school and parents.
Alice Cobb asked about tax rate comparisons between CISD and nearby school districts, called attention to communication issues, and said many people perceive that the school hasn’t made cuts or hasn’t suffered financially.
School board candidate Linda Rowland asked how the district would deal with the deficit if the election fails, and Trustee Jim Shelton replied that the board had not looked at specific areas to cut in that case. Board president Wayne Hardin said the worst case scenario would be cuts to popular programs.
Roger Estlack suggested that the school be very specific about what the cuts would have to be, and parents also discussed the costs of the C-SCOPE curriculum, the Accelerated Reader program, and the number of athletic programs offered by the school.
Tex Buckhaults said he thought passing the tax increase was necessary, and high school teacher Diane Skelton pointed to the number of successful graduates that have come out of CHS as reasons to favor passage of the tax rate to maintain the school’s level of success.
All present said they wanted what was best for the school’s kids even if that means raising taxes, but several said they wanted to be sure the school was doing everything possible to be financially responsible.
Voters heading to polls Saturday
Voters head to the polls this Saturday, May 11, to decide who will lead four local governments in Donley County.
Early balloting for the City of Clarendon, Clarendon ISD, the City of Howardwick, and Hedley ISD closed Tuesday with very high turnouts being reported. As of Tuesday morning, officials reported the following early turnout: City of Howardwick 42, Hedley ISD 36, Clarendon ISD 309, and City of Clarendon 284.
Saturday’s elections will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and balloting for the City of Clarendon and Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees will be held at the Donley County Courthouse Annex, the Howardwick city election will be held at Howardwick City Hall, and Hedley ISD voters will cast their ballots at the Hedley Lions Club.
In all 24 candidates are seeking elected offices around Donley County this spring.
Clarendon Mayor Larry Hicks is being challenged for his job by Alderman Tommy Hill, and four people are running for two positions available on the Board of Aldermen. Alderman Debbie Roberts, who was appointed in December, is seeking a full term in office, and she is joined on the ballot by former alderman Janice Knorpp, Sandy Skelton, and Trevor Leeper.
Clarendon ISD has four candidates running for three positions on the Board of Trustees. Current school board members Robin Ellis and Jim Shelton are seeking re-election and challengers Linda Rowland and Chuck Robertson are also running.
Six candidates are running for two positions on the Hedley School Board. Incumbents Bonnie Walsh Brown and James E. Potts are being challenged by Michele McCann, Kevin Smith, Aaron Harper, and Lana Ritchie.
The City of Howardwick leads the candidate count at eight with David P. Cafferata and former alderman Mike Rowland running for mayor; William R. Jordan, Gail Leathers, and Jim Cockerham running for two vacant full terms on the Board of Aldermen; and Alderman Gene Rogers, Cory Longan, former mayor H.L. “Buster” Baird, and Sandy Sanders vying for two unexpired terms.
A survey of the Donley and Collingsworth appraisal districts conducted Tuesday by the Enterprise found that the households of all candidates running for office except one have paid their property taxes. McCann’s husband Tye still owes for 2012, but local officials say they don’t consider 2012 taxes delinquent until July.
Election results will be posted on www.ClarendonLive.com as soon as they become available Saturday evening and will be printed in next week’s Enterprise.
Sts. Roost Museum to receive Comanche arrow marker
The Quanah Parker Trail will officially come through Clarendon next Friday when an arrow sculpture is installed at the Saints’ Roost Museum.
The local marker is one of three coming to the Panhandle next week, courtesy of sculptor and artist Charles A. Smith of New Home, Texas. The Tri-County Tourism Gathering hosted by the Texas Panhandle Tourism Marketing Council (PTMC).
The first arrow will be installed in Panhandle on US Highway 60 at the east end of the Carson County Law Enforcement Center at approximately 9:30 a.m. The second arrow will be installed in Clarendon at the Saint’s Roost Museum at 11:30 a.m., and the third arrow will be installed in Goodnight at the Charles Goodnight House and Visitor’s Center at 2:00 p.m.
Smith, assisted by local volunteers, will install the outdoor sculptures to highlight the history and legacy of Comanche presence during the Red River Indian Wars of 1874-1875.
Saints’ Roost Museum officials welcome the arrow marker placement to highlight the historic relationship between Quanah Parker and Col. Charles Goodnight, and the Native American artifacts and Red River Wars exhibits in the Museum as well as memorializing the presence of native people in this area.
The Quanah Parker Trail honors historical landmarks, sites, events and artifacts in museums that link this region to the Native Americans who last roamed the Texas Panhandle Plains. It is named after Quanah Parker to recognize his role as the chief of the Comanche people, who were the most powerful Native American presence in the region.
A metal plate with an arrow number on the tip of the arrow will signify the order of placement in the 52-county Texas Plains Trail Region. The 340-pound arrows stand 22 feet tall; and ¼ inch in diameter steel rods, resembling the fletching of feathers, vibrate in the wind. Each arrow is painted in the Comanche colors of red, blue, and gold.
With the blessing of the great grandchildren of Quanah Parker, on May 17 the arrows will rise grandly and sing in the wind in Armstrong, Carson and Donley counties.
For more information, contact Holle Humphries, facilitator for the Quanah Parker Trail project, or Barbara Brannon, executive director, Texas Plains Trail Region, at 806.252.6554 or info@TexasPlainsTrail.com.
Dodgeball tourney to benefit Burton
The “Dare to Dodge” dodgeball tournament will be held this Saturday, May 11, at 10:30 a.m. at Clarendon High School to benefit a Hedley student with epilepsy.
All donations and funds raised by the tournament will go toward the effort to get a service dog for Kortney Burton.
The games are open to everyone who wants to form a team, and the sign-up deadline is Friday, May 10, at 5 p.m. Teams will play against the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, Clarendon Fire Department, Clarendon EMS, and the Texas Highway Patrol.
Six-person teams are $60 per team. Contact Sonny at 806-440-6616 for more information.
Editorial: Time for the people to take action
Saturday is Election Day, a fact you’ll be reminded of several times if you read this week’s edition of the Enterprise. From our page one election coverage to our featured columnist Fred Gray to a reader’s letter to the ads from several local politicians, it is hard to miss the fact that local voters have a job to do this weekend.
An impressive number of people have already stepped up to the plate and done their civic duty. As of Tuesday morning, 284 people had early voted in the City of Clarendon election, 309 had early voted for the Clarendon school board, and 42 had early voted in Howardwick. The early turnout this year has outpaced total turnout two years ago. In 2011, about 55 Howardwick citizens voted total, 233 Clarendon voters cast ballots, and about 250 people voted for school board. Last year, there wasn’t even enough interest to hold an election for those boards.
Interest is high in Hedley also, where 36 people had early voted for school board by Tuesday morning. School officials say early voting usually amounts to about seven or eight people.
It is a great thing to see people getting involved, but it is also important to see candidates involved in the process. Certainly, they are involved just by being on the ballot, but it is nice when we see participation beyond just campaigning and specifically participation through attendance at meetings. The incumbents in each race are familiar with the issues facing their respective boards, but challengers can only attain that knowledge by coming to meetings and learning firsthand how a board functions and the topics before it.
Howardwick has had good participation at a town hall meeting and a meet-the-candidates forum, and we applaud the way citizens in that community have rallied to work together.
In Hedley, there was high interest immediately after Coach Darrell Wallace was not given a new contract. But in the numerous meetings since then, the Enterprise has only seen one challenging candidate in attendance. That candidate was Lana Ritchie, and she is to be commended for coming and learning first hand what’s going on.
Likewise at the Clarendon ISD board meetings, there has only been one challenging candidate who we have seen at board meetings. CISD has a lot on its plate right now, facing a budget deficit and declining enrollment and now a June election asking taxpayers to pony up more money. Linda Rowland deserves recognition for taking the time to come to a couple of board meetings to educate herself on the issues.
The City of Clarendon has also been the center of attention lately, and numerous citizens have made the time to attend the meetings of the Board of Aldermen. Two of the three non-incumbents running for the board have been among those truly interested citizens – Sandy Skelton and Janice Knorpp.
Again, the incumbents know the issues, and it is a great thing to have new candidates run for office. It is a better thing when those new candidates are fully informed and ready to serve on day one should they be elected.
We have tried our level best to keep you up to date on the issues surrounding our cities and schools, and Enterprise representatives have put in extra time covering board meetings lately – doing our job, reporting on what’s happening when we could be home with our loved ones playing Yahtzee. We’ve done our part, the candidates have filled their roles, and now we leave it in the hands of the people. Go vote.
Opinion: Make your voice heard this Saturday
As we go to press today, the last day of early voting is coming to a close. If you haven’t voted, please plan on taking a few minutes to go vote Saturday, May 11. This may be one of the most important elections we’ve had in many years. Three specific elections concern me: the Clarendon Board of Aldermen, the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees, and Hedley ISD Board of Trustees.
Howardwick is no longer a concern. They have stepped up to the plate and have many candidates vying for several positions available. Good for them. Seriously! Good. For. Them. The city made a plea for help and the good folks of Howardwick responded marvelously.
Regarding the Clarendon Board of Aldermen, many concerns still need to be addressed. It is my understanding that the early voting turnout has been excellent. Hopefully, this trend will continue through this weekend and most of our citizens will choose to be heard. If the turnout is good, regardless of the results, Clarendon citizens will reap the benefits of a fully engaged citizenry.
The attitudes of the aldermen have for the most part (excepting a couple of aldermen) have become churlish and vituperative as they conduct the city’s business. It’s sad to see, and sadder still to hear concerned citizens speak of their dysfunction. Hopefully, the voices of the people will result in wise choices.
Hedley ISD is also holding elections, with six candidates vying for two places. The incumbents are James Edward Potts and Bonnie Brown – currently the president of the board. After spending a few months watching the board conduct the business of the Hedley Independent School District, I must admit that I’m more than a bit shocked at the attitudes of the board members. With a couple of exceptions, the board seems to be more concerned with making sure the administration, particularly superintendent Bill Sanders, tows the line as delineated by the board.
Rather than focusing on the teamwork needed to maximize the learning experience of Hedley’s students, the board, again with exceptions, seems to be determined to keep a short leash on Mr. Sanders. For example, in Monday’s board meeting, one of the board members (who isn’t running for re-election) rather pointedly reminded Mr. Sanders that he is not allowed to spend more than a specific sum of money without their prior written authorization, never mind that he had not spent more than the allowed amount in a single purchase. She had misunderstood that the amount in question concerned several purchases rather than one specific item. My point is that she was more concerned with controlling Mr. Sanders than with doing what is best for the students of Hedley.
A similar question was raised by Bonnie Brown, wondering why purchase requisitions were sometimes dated after the actual purchase date. Again, this was done to micro-manage the administration, rather than spending their valuable time setting policy and exploring ways in which to create synergy between the board and the administration to maximize the benefits to the students.
Mr. Sanders, Mr. O’Dell, and the rest of the administration do an excellent job of professionally educating Hedley’s students. Yet, they are continually fighting to overcome silly little obstacles that are artificially raised by members of the board.
Take for example, the recent trip of Marijke Tiddens, the first Hedley student to win a medal in the state UIL tennis championships.
Prior to the trip, Karen Watt, a board member who isn’t up for re-election, required Mr. Sanders to jump through an absurd serious of hoops regarding the issue of a properly constituted school concussion team – even as they prepared to travel to College Station. Mrs. Watt even went so far as to remind Mr. Sanders that he would be at fault if Ms. Tiddens was prevented from competing in the championships. Really? Didn’t the board hire Mr. Sanders to handle these issues? Geez! Leave him alone and let him do his job.
FYI: Ms. Tiddens was allowed to compete, which she did very well, and I’m certain that the totally bogus issue of a properly constituted school concussion team was never raised.
Yet, these outrageous interferences by the board continue ad nauseam, and by several different board members. Hopefully, the citizens of Hedley will see the light and elect board members who will be committed to setting policy, and seeking ways to build the teamwork and synergy needed to give the students of Hedley a first class education, which they deserve.
Which brings me to the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustee election? While reading the names of the students who made the “A Honor Roll” I noticed that there was a substantial drop off after the second grade, then there was a drastic drop off after the eighth grade. In high school, we only had five students make the “A Honor Roll”. In the “AB Honor Roll”, there is a steady drop off as the students progressed towards graduation. Perhaps we need to ask our candidates why our students’ achievements seem to decline as they progress through school.
Let’s all go vote Saturday, May 11.
Broncos stumble in playoffs
By Sandy Anderberg
It was a disappointing end to a fairly good season as the Clarendon Broncos succumbed to the Lockney Longhorns in two games last weekend. The Broncos lost the first game 4-12 and the second 9-12.
They played the first game on Lockney’s home field and according to head coach Brad Elam, could not find a rhythm in the game.
“We didn’t really ever get going,” Elam said. “All phases of the game struggled. We were able to get a little rally going late, but not much else.” Elam gave credit to Trevor Cobb for having three hits, Cody Wood for one hit and two walks, and Cole Ward for reaching base three times and scoring two runs.
The Broncos played the second game of the series at home on Saturday and once again, the win escaped them.
“We struggled again, but were able to get more runners on base and mount a challenge,” Elam said. “We did hold a late lead (6-5) going into the last inning but were unable to hold it. We had another last inning rally but fell short. We walked or were hit 11 times and we just didn’t have enough hits to drive them in to go with it.”
Mitchell Parry and Dusty Rice reached base three times and Cobb, Adam Topper and Parry all had good hits according to Elam.
The Broncos end their season 11-8 on the year.
Lady Broncos’ season ends
By Sandy Anderberg
The Lady Broncos ended their softball season with a heartbreaking loss to Ralls last week at 2-12 ending their season tied for second place in the district race. According to head coach Gary Jack, the Lady Broncos gave it their all.
“We ended our season last week with a Bi-District playoff loss to Ralls,” Jack said. “Our girls played hard but just came up short to a very good team. This was a very short season; only eight weeks long including the playoffs. That makes it very difficult to be consistent with all the other sports and events going on in the spring. I was proud of our girls that they never gave up.”
Jack was complimentary of the senior leadership on the team.
“Our seniors had a good run for four years,” Jack said. “Jency Burton, Maci White, Jentry Shadle, Audrey Shelton, and Amanda Powell are our seniors and they will be missed. Regardless, it was still a fun and successful season.”
State-bound
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