Roger Estlack

Clarendon CISD released updated protocols related to COVID-19 following a meeting of the Board of Trustees on September 13.

Among the updated protocols is language for students and staff who are exposed to a COVID positive person in the home highly encouraging them to stay home for the physician’s recommended stay-at-home time. However, the protocol does allow those students or staff exhibiting no symptoms after five days to be tested and return to school early.

Students and staff who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine after a close contact exposure but should still get tested within five to seven days of the exposure, the protocol says.

CCISD Nurse Debbie Thompson said the school has administered about 300 tests over the last three weeks (some of those are repeat tests on the same students or staff) and has had 12 positives as of the end of last week. Five of those positives were tested again at Clarendon Family Medical Center.

Thompson said the testing effort is working to help keep students and staff healthy.

“We’re catching things earlier,” she said. “That gets kids and staff out of school quicker if they’re sick and results in them getting back to school quicker.”

Thompson said she administered several tests Monday and has had no positives this week as of Tuesday morning.

Thompson also said that about 3.1 percent of the student/staff population or 14 people of 444 were reported absent Tuesday due to active COVID-19.

CCISD Trustees also took action last week to extend paid leave to district personnel who are COVID positive by passing a resolution to give them 80 hours of extended leave.

Follow these links to read the revised CCISD protocols and for Frequently Asked Questions.

Donley County continues to see high numbers of COVID-19 cases this week, according to the Clarendon Family Medical Center.

Clinic spokesperson Marsha Bruce said Tuesday that there are 30 active cases under the care of CFMC, down from 37 a week ago.

The total positive cases at the clinic for September was 56 as of the end the day Monday, and Clarendon CISD reported positive tests of a separate seven cases in staff and/or students there in the last several days. Raising the total of new cases known about to 63.

These numbers do not include local residents who are COVID positive but tested in Amarillo or another nearby community.

Local health officials still say that almost all of the cases they are seeing are people who are unvaccinated, and they urge people to get tested if they show any COVID symptoms as the early treatment makes a big impact in lessening the severity of the disease.

According to the Texas Tribune this week, 31.9 percent of Donley County residents are vaccinated. That represents a total of 1,039 people, up from 1,010 one week ago.

County Judge John Howard, MD, urges everyone to protect themselves from the virus, which he says can help people keep from catching and spreading the virus.

The Moderna vaccine is available at no charge at the local clinic for everyone ages 18 and over. The Pfizer vaccine is available in Amarillo for children ages 12 and over.

Clarendon College’s enrollment continues to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as reflected by a decline in headcount this semester, according to CC President Tex Buckhaults.

CC’s total fall headcount settled at 1,399 following the census date on September 8. That’s a drop of about 2.6 percent from 1,436 one year ago, and a decline of 12 percent from the pre-pandemic figure of 1,589 in the fall of 2019.

Buckhaults points out that contact hours – a key factor in the college’s state funding – are up slightly this semester compared to the pre-pandemic at 304,864, an increase of about one percent.

“We have fewer students, but they are taking more classes,” Buckhaults said.

CC has more students on its Clarendon campus this year, 331 up from 258 last fall, and on its Pampa Campus, 150 up from 139. The cosmetology center in Amarillo is also up at 66 compared to 52 one year ago. Enrollment in Childress held steady at 36.

The president said dual credit classes has been the biggest loss for the college.

“We had 70 students at Panhandle High School, but they have gone back to Amarillo College,” Buckhaults said.

Overall dual credit head counts fell from 690 one year ago to 605 this year. Clarendon High School has more students taking dual credit, 30 students up from 25 a year ago, but Hedley is down with three students compared to eight last fall, which Buckhaults said is due to a smaller senior class this year.

Pampa High School’s dual credit number dropped from 215 last year to 164 this fall due in large part to less funding available for those classes through the CC Pampa Foundation.

CC has seen continued growth in its dual credit cosmetology offering in Canyon, Buckhaults said, noting that the previously half-time instructor for that course is now working full time with the class more than doubling from 18 students to 41 currently.

Resident halls on the Clarendon campus are also completely full, the president said, and some coaches have had to move out of the dorms to make room for students.

The number of students taking courses through area correctional facilities dropped from 97 to 81, but Buckhaults points out that the state put a cap on class sizes. That cap was lifted after the 12th class day, so CC may see higher numbers there in the spring semester.

Distance education students – those taking classes strictly online – dropped from 164 to 150, and Buckhaults believes many of those students moved to traditional classes.

As the college continues to deal with the effects of the pandemic, there may be some hope on the horizon for additional funding. Buckhaults said Texas community colleges are asking for $325 million during the current special session of the Legislature. If approved, Clarendon College could receive $1.5 million, and the funds would likely be allocated to building repairs.

In other college business, the CC Board of Regents met last Thursday, for its regular meeting.

Chris Matthews was appointed to the board to take the seat of Darlene Spier, whose resignation was accepted in August. Also in August, former board member Lon Adams was appointed to re-join the board following the resignation of Jerry Woodard, which was accepted in July.

Regents also last week approved a resolution regarding the college’s banking in Childress with First United Bank. The resolution was necessary because the name of the bank changed.

The board voted to re-nominate current members of the appraisal boards in Donley and Gray counties and approved a modernized version of the CC Ranch & Feedlot Operations Logo.

Regents discussed real estate in Childress and will be taking a walk-through of a facility there next week. The college is considering buying about 30,000 square feet of the shopping center that currently houses the Childress Center.

Regents also ratified personnel matters including hiring Amie Seal as a Childress cosmetology instructor, Tate Corliss as a part time assistant judging coach, and Bradley Swygard and Linda Haynes as adjunct instructors; the resignations of Jana Coats as Cosmetology Director, Jamie Mears as Director of Allied Health, and Joseph Davis as a clinical coordinator in allied health; and the reassignment of Mandy Poole-Guerrero as the Director of Allied Health.

During administrative reports, regents were updated on the college’s fifth-year review report to the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools – Commission on Colleges, which was filed September 10.

State Senator Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) will hold a virtual town hall Friday, September 24, for Donley County residents and Hall and Collingsworth County residents. The meeting will be held from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m.

Seliger wants to discuss the recently completed 87th Regular Session and 87th First and Second Special Sessions with his constituents.

Constituents will have the opportunity to discuss critical issues facing their communities and the state. To join the conversation, visit https://www.kelseliger.com/town-halls/ for Zoom details.

Clarendon residents will see water rate increases next month following action taken by the City Council September 6.

City Administrator David Dockery said water and sewer rates will go up six percent starting October 1.

“We haven’t gone up on our utility rates in some time, and our costs of doing business in terms of supplies, labor, and water from Greenbelt Water Authority have gone up,” Dockery said.

Ordinance 501 increasing those water and sewer rates is published in this week’s Enterprise.

In other city business, aldermen approved the city’s ad valorem tax rate for the coming year, setting it at $0.61375 per $100 valuation.

The council also accepted bids on resurfacing work for Kearney and Taylor streets and nominated Alderman Jacob Fangman to continue to serve on the Donley Appraisal District board.