This Week

Increasing enrollment and additional classes are pushing Hedley ISD to build more classrooms, according to School Superintendent Bryan Hill.

The Hedley Board of Trustees accepted a bid of Redi-Built Metal Products & Construction for a 30x70x10 steel building with a 4” concrete slab, 3” Fiberglas insulation, six doors, four windows, and all the trim for $24,150 when they met in a regular session November 20.

A bid was also accepted from the same company for a 10×70 awning and four-inch thick sidewalks for $2,800.

“The crew should start setting up forms for the concrete this week, and we hope to be finished by March 1, 2001,” Hill said.

The new building will include space for a sixth grade classroom, bathrooms, and a new science lab. It will be constructed on the north side of the HISD campus.

Hedley’s enrollment is currently at 174 students. Hill said that is up 60 students from six years ago. He says the two new rooms will just meet the school’s basic needs.

“We’ve been pretty crowded for the last few years,” Hill said. “Every classroom is full, and you can’t get in to clean them. We have four or five teachers floating around from period to period, and we’ve added an ESL [English as a Second Language] program. We need these two rooms just to get by.”

Hill said the school would really also like to add a new computer lab as well as a bigger library or a combination library/auditorium.

In other school business, the itinerary for the senior class trip to was presented and approved. The seniors will be taking a cruise from Galveston to Mexico, and the school pickup and van will be used for transportation to Galveston.

The 1999-2000 audit was approved as presented by Bill Baker. Achievement awards were approved for the staff of Hedley CISD, and Principal Terry Stevens presented the Safe and Drug Free School report.

The board voted in favor of changing the regular board meeting scheduled for Monday, December 18, to Tuesday, December 19, at 8 p.m.

Bridget Christopherson was hired as a teacher aide.

Two science lab tables and one teacher’s demonstration table/desk were also purchased.

The inter-local agreement for Shared Services Arrangement with EPSSA was also approved, and Superintendent Bryan Hill gave an administrative report on the Technology Conference.

Students entering Clarendon High School next fall will be met with a more stringent set of graduation requirements.

The Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees approved an additional year of math and science to the local requirements when they met in regular session November 26.

Next year’s freshmen will have to take a minimum of three years of math and science classes. Previous requirements only called for two years in each subject.

“We just want to help prepare our kids for college,” said CHS Principal Larry Jeffers. “Even if they choose not to go to college, that extra math will always help them.”

Jeffers said the school will start offering two new courses in math and science. Practical Applications of Algebra will focus on life-long math skills, and students will have the option of taking Geology-Meteorology-Oceanography (GMO) for a science credit.

In addition to helping the students, Jeffers said the school hopes the changes will prepare this year’s eighth graders for the TAAS-2 test their junior year. TAAS-2 will raise the bar for Texas students’ minimum skills.

The trustees also approved making the state’s recommended high school graduation plan the local district default plan. The basic difference will be requirements for taking two years of foreign language and one year of fine arts.

Students will still have different options, Jeffers said, but they will have to make a choice to go the easier route. Parents will also have to sign off on taking minimal requirements.

“We want the parents to be more proactive in choosing the graduation plan,” he said.

School officials say they believe the state will mandate that districts adopt the new requirements in the future.

Currently, about a third of CHS students take only the minimum requirements for graduation. More than 50 percent take the “recommended” requirements, and the remainder go an advanced route.

In other school business, a public hearing and discussion was conducted concerning the district’s AEIS Report for 1999-2000, Campus Performance Objectives & Actual Performance, and Violent, Criminal Incidents and Prevention, and Safety Policies.

A bid was accepted from A-1 Audio to upgrade the existing intercom system in the elementary building for $7,489.76.

The board approved the purchase and installation of a commercial stainless steel vent hood and electric grill for the Bronco Gym concession stand for $6,386 from the Activity Fund.

A motion was approved to designate $400,000 of the general fund balance for future construction, renovation, and repairs as presented.

The board accepted the resignation of the Bridget Christopherson and agreed to hire JoDawn Gifford as an at-will employee.

The Panhandle Regional 911 Network will be notifying rural Donley County residents of their 911 or physical address this week.

City type addresses consisting of street names and numbers will be assigned to homes and businesses in rural areas. Citizens living within an incorporated area will not be affected.

The project is a combined effort of the Donley County Commissioners’ Court, the Donley County Sheriff’s Department, and the Regional 911 Network of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission (PRPC) in order to provide the best 911 services to local citizens.

Rural addressing will provide emergency service personnel such as fire departments, ambulance services, and law enforcement with a more efficient way of locating 911 callers. Emergency personnel will no longer have to depend on “local knowledge” to find a person needing help. For example, when responding to a call outside of town, an address like “6725 County Road E” can be much more useful to a new ambulance driver than “two miles south of the old Smith place.”

The new physical addresses should not be confused with a mailing address. At some date in the future, the US Postal Service will be converting the physical address into mailing addresses to replace the HC and RR addresses. This will help with the automated processing and sorting of mail, the post office says.

A physical address as other benefits beyond 911, according to the PRPC. Utilities and package delivery companies are beginning to require a physical address to start a new account or service an existing one. Similarly, insurance companies often require such information about the property for which they are providing coverage.

Rural residents who do not receive a letter by Monday, December 4, are encouraged to call the Panhandle Regional 911 Network in Amarillo at 372-3881 or 1-800-687-7911.

AUSTIN – Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander says families saved an estimated $37 million during Texas’ second annual Sales Tax Holiday, held August 4-6.

The savings include $29.2 million in state sales tax and $7.8 million in local sales taxes.

“My prediction that the second Sales Tax Holiday would be bigger and better than the first was right on the money,” Rylander said. “This year, shoppers saved $4.4 million more than they saved during the 1999 Tax Holiday.

“This year, shoppers were familiar with the Sales Tax Holiday, they knew what items were tax-exempt, and they planned ahead to take full advantage of this much-deserved tax break,” Comptroller Rylander said.

The Comptroller estimates shoppers purchased about $467 million in tax-free clothes and shoes during the three-day shopping spree.

During the Holiday, no state or local sales taxes are charged on most clothing and footwear priced at less than $100. The event is timed to give families a financial break during the back-to-school shopping period.

During the first two Sales Tax Holidays, taxpayers saved an estimated $69.6 million in state and local sales taxes.

“The Sales Tax Holiday is a tremendous hit with hard-working moms and dads, but I want to make it even better,” Rylander said.

The Comptroller has instructed her staff to study the impact of extending the Sales Tax Holiday for more than three days and adding more items to the tax-exempt list.

“I want to make the Sales Tax Holiday as beneficial to Texas families as possible,” she said. “The tax burden on working families is too high, and the Holiday provides Texans with some much-needed relief.”

Clarendon Merchants say shopping at home can pay off big, and they’re putting up $200 in merchant bucks this Thursday during Late Night Shopping.

Three lucky people will get the chance to spin Santa’s Wheel for a chance at the jackpot.

You must be present to win, and details will be available at participating merchants.

Santa Claus is also scheduled to be downtown this Thursday night.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen put a proposed city management contract on hold last week.

The city had been considering hiring the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission (PRPC) to provide administrative services to Clarendon. But after a closed session with city employees last Tuesday, the board voted not to make a commitment to PRPC at this time.

Instead the board will wait to see what happens with an application for a planning grant from the state.

Alderman Billy Jack Land said he was disappointed by the decision not to contract with the PRPC to provide a city administrator.

“I feel like until we get a person in charge, we’re not going to get what we want,” Land said. “It’s just like having a superintendent at the school or a president at the college. The right person can pay for themselves.”

Mayor Tex Selvidge and Alderman Smiley Johnson had drafted goals for PRPC to accomplish and presented them to the board last week. But Alderman Mac Stavenhagen said he wanted to hear from City Secretary Janice Barbee and City Superintendent Jim Roberts.

“We got input from Jim and Janice, and they were unfavorable to [the PRPC contract],” Land said.

Land said the grant from the Texas Community Development program could accomplish some of the same goals the city had in mind for a city administrator.

“We’ll just wait and see,” he said.

The grant, which the city applied for in August, would provide $40,000 for city planning and codification of city ordinances.

According to Barbee, planning under the grant would coordinate future waterworks and street projects and would help create a map of city water and sewer lines.

The grant would also pay for codification of ordinances – a process whereby ordinances are combed through to see if they are meeting the current needs of the city and make sure than none of the laws are contradictory.

“The ordinances are already indexed,” Barbee said, “but we need some upgrading.”

The City of Clarendon was incorporated in 1901 with the first city election taking place on September 24 of that year.  The first ordinance was passed on January 7, 1902, and it accepted and adopted the map of the township.

Nearly a century later, some ordinances are no longer valid, some have been amended, and some may be in conflict. Barbee said a codifying process would help clean all that up.

A decision on the grant is expected in January. If approved, the city would put up a match of $6,000.

In other city business, the aldermen agreed to notify the Texas Department of Transportation of the city’s interest in bidding on the old highway barn. Ionex Telecommunications, Inc., requested that the board review their service product. The board requested more information on this service.

The airport improvements were discussed, and a report of activities at the library was given.

Tommy Hill spoke to the board requesting the city pave Hawley Street from Fifth Street to Browning Blvd. Paving is currently on hold until warmer weather arrives next spring, and the city is following a plan for the paving. No action was taken on this request.

“Christmas Cash” loans are available again this year at The Donley County State Bank, The Herring National Bank of Clarendon, and Community Bank. 

As last year, local banks are making 0% loans, up to $3,000, available for “Christmas Cash.”

Interested parties must make application for a loan with any of the participating banks.  Once your Christmas Cash loan has been approved, you will be issued specially printed Christmas Cash Dollars, which may be spent like US currency toward new purchases of products and services (excluding Lottery tickets, gasoline, and tobacco products) at all of the participating businesses.  Businesses display posters indicating they are participants of the promotion. 

There will be no exchange of U.S. currency to make change.  For example, if you purchase items valued at $72.95 and you give the merchant $80.00 in Christmas Cash, the merchant can give you $7.05 in-store credit.  You may also pay $70.00 in Christmas Cash and the remaining $2.95 in U. S. currency. 

Christmas Cash Dollars are available in three denominations: $10, $20, and $50.  There are two signature lines, the same as there are on traveler’s checks. 

Your signature is placed on the signature line before you leave the bank, and then you must sign on the endorsement line when you spend your Cash. 

Christmas Cash must be spent at the participating merchants by December 31, 2000.  Unspent Christmas Cash may be applied toward your 0% loan at the bank through January 5, 2001. 

This cash may not be used as a regular monthly loan payment.  It can only be applied toward the principal amount due at the end of the Christmas Cash note.  Christmas Cash notes are paid back in ten equal monthly installments.  After January 5, 2001, Christmas Cash becomes worthless. 

It’s amazing the variety of products you can purchase with your Christmas Cash.  Some of the items purchased in years past include: replacement windows, vehicle repairs, groceries, furniture, entertainment equipment, cook-tops, dry cleaning for summer bedrolls, catered goodies, Christmas dinner, car stereos, special gift items, centerpieces, clothing, and much more. 

The Donley County State Bank, The Herring National Bank, and Community Bank will buy Christmas Cash from participating merchants at a rate of 95¢ for every $1.00.  Participating businesses are “interested in keeping your business here in Clarendon.”

This year’s participating merchants are: Amigo’s Mexican Restauranté, Bar H Dude Ranch, Chamberlain Motor Company, Country Bloomers Flowers and Gifts, Duckwall’s, Eads Furniture and Appliances, Floyd’s Motor Company and Body Shop, Guys and Dolls, Henson’s, J&W Lumber, Kidd’s Texaco and Clarendon Auto Supply, McKinney’s Motor Company, Poor Boy’s Antiques, Saye’s, White’s Feed and Seed, B&R Thriftway, The Clarendon Enterprise, Clarendon Outpost, Country Kitchen, Every Nook & Cranny, Floyd’s Automotive Supply, Greenbelt Cleaners, Harlan’s Flowers and Gifts, The Hitchin’ Post, Janie’s Beauty Shop, Mike’s Pharmacy, Naturally Texas T’s, “Sam Hill” Barbecue, and Thompson Upholstery.