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School construction abounds in past year
By Mary Madewell
Published January 2, 2010
New construction topped the list of news in education during 2009 with all three of the city’s school districts — Paris, North Lamar and Chisum — adding facilities to accommodate demands of increasing state and federal mandates.
Lamar County’s other two districts — Roxton and Prairiland — have just completed expansions in recent years as have other districts in the Red River Valley with the exception of Clarksville ISD. Voters there have turned down bond proposals on three separate occasions in recent history.
New facilities can be seen in Honey Grove in Fannin County, Cooper in Delta County and at Detroit and Rivercrest, both in Red River County.
Paris Independent School District plans to move into a new $43 million high school in August 2010 and realign its campuses, moving kindergarten from T.G. Givens to Justiss and Aikin Elementaries; taking fourth and fifth grade students from the two elementaries to Crockett Middle School and moving sixth, seventh and eighth grade students to the current high school facility.
Chisum High School students moved into a new math, science and technology wing in October. The new addition includes four science labs, four math labs and two computer labs, all made possible with approximately $7 million in bond funds approved by voters in May 2008. Eight classrooms also were added at the elementary campus and a maintenance and transportation building was constructed.
North Lamar Independent School District voters approved a $4.68 million bond proposal in May to add science and computer classrooms to the high school and do renovations at other campuses. Work currently is in progress at both the high school and other campuses.
The area’s school districts held the line on property tax rates, either remaining the same as North Lamar did at $1.15822 per $100 valuation, or lowering rates as was seen in Chisum and Paris. Chisum lowered its tax rate two cents to $1.22 per $100 valuation.
Although Paris lowered its total tax rate 12 cents, voters approved a $1.17 maintenance and operations tax rate, the highest allowed by the state, in a move that will generate about $2.35 million in additional state revenue. The district lowered its interest and sinking tax rate for bonded indebtedness by 13 cents to 15.5 cents, making the total tax rate $1.325 per $100 valuation compared to $1.445 in 2008.
For the most part, area schools did well in 2009 on state accountability ratings.
North Lamar lead the way by receiving a Recognized ranking as a district, the second highest rating in the accountability system. Chisum Independent School District missed the same ranking because of a data entry mistake.
North Lamar saw four of its six campuses receive Exemplary ratings, the highest possible. And, the district missed the Exemplary mark by 1 percentage point in science and by 5 percentage points on one Economically Disadvantages sub-group tally.
The four north Lamar campuses receiving Exemplary ratings include Higgins Elementary, Parker Elementary, Cecil Everett Elementary and Bailey Intermediate. Both North Lamar High School and Frank Stone Middle School received Recognized ratings.
Chisum Elementary was rated Exemplary, Chisum Middle school, Recognized, and Chisum High School, Academically Acceptable.
Roxton Elementary was rated Recognized and Roxton High School, Academically Acceptable.
Prairiland Junior High received Exemplary; Blossom Elementary, Recognized; Deport, Exemplary; and Prairiland High School, Academically Acceptable.
Paris Independent School District received a first time ever Academically Unacceptable district rating.
“It wasn’t because of our test scores,” Deputy Superintendent Mark Hudson said at the time. “Most of our test scores are either in the exemplary of recognized range.”
A new indicator — completion rate — landed the district in the substandard group. The completions rate is calculated on the percentage of students who graduate high school based on 2008 numbers.
The year 2009 saw some administrative changes.
Long-time Prairiland Superintendent James Morton retired and Jeff Ballard, high school principal, was named superintendent. Dr. Kenneth Hall resigned from Roxton to take another position in early summer and Dan Pickering, a Lamar County native, took his place at the helm. At Detroit, Steve Drummond, high school assistant principal, was named superintendent following the June resignation of Superintendent Morris Lyon. At Chisum, Tommy Chalaire was named assistant superintendent.
The year saw both individual and group recognitions for both students and staff in local districts.
Chisum High School math and science students took high honors at the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association state Class 2-A competition in San Antonio. The calculator team took first and the math team took second. Scott Landers was the Second Top Gun in the senior division and received a $1,000 scholarship. Other team members included Chance Ballard, Rance Ballard and Jacob Moore.
Agriculture instructor at Chisum was named Secondary Teacher of the Year by the Texas Rural Educators Association.
At North Lamar, 62nd District Judge Scott McDowell and North Lamar teacher Claire Anderson received the Frank J. Tejeda Award for Public Service and the Ermalee Boice Instructional Advocacy Award, respectively, from the Texas State Teachers Association.
North Lamar junior Billy Goette was named Texas 3A Persuasive Speaking champion at University Interscholastic League competition in Austin and the school’s One-Act Play took a second place at the state meet. Junior Anna Winters took silver in Literary Criticism and senior Carolyn Ball placed fourth in poetry and earned All Star Cast in One Act Play.
Beth Dennis, a fifth grade science instructor at Justiss Elementary in Paris ISD was named to the Texas Education Agency Commissioner’s Educator Leadership Council and Althea Dixon, assistant principal at Paris High School, was named Region 8 Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year.
Also on the PISD staff, Judie Forte Huff, director of Lamar County Head Start since 1993, was named Bachelor of Social Work Field Instructor of the Year by the Texas A&M University — Commerce School of Social Work.
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