School Hires Three Teachers
Meeting in regular session July 12, the Glasscock County ISD School Board hired three teachers for the 2004-2005 school year. Actually, two of the three are rehires, as Jimmy Fine and Reta Bell were rehired after retiring just last month. In addition, Perla Garcia was hired to teach Spanish and to sponsor the yearbook. Garcia is a first year teacher who will be fully certified after one year’s experience. She has completed a year’s internship in the Spanish Department at Lakeview High School in San Angelo, and is also a certified nurse’s aide with four years experience.
Bell and Fine were rehired under the state’s “Retire–Rehire” program, which allows teachers to have most retirement benefits and still be able to teach. School Superintendent Steve Long said the program’s benefits for the school are in getting to keep experienced personnel without paying health insurance or teacher retirement.
Bell, with 30 years experience, has a degree in business administration and a Master’s in counseling, a track record of successful UIL competition and the ability to teach concurrent enrollment classes. Fine, who has 27 years experience, has a degree in health and physical education with certifications in history/social studies, a record of successful athletic programs and experience as coordinator of awards programs.
The board also hired Lisa Gonzales as a cafeteria employee, and accepted the resignation of Maribel Reyes, who had been teaching Spanish and sponsoring the yearbook.
New Student Handbooks Approved
The board approved 2004-2005 student handbooks for the elementary and secondary schools with minor changes to each.
Board member Carl Hoelscher said he attended a tax hearing regarding recent increases in local valuations on farmland. He said the state had found Glasscock County’s agricultural valuations to be among the lowest in the state, and would place an oversight board over the county appraisal district if valuations were not brought closer in line with the state averages.
Long presented comparisons of bids from 2003-04 and 2004-05 for property insurance, fuels, and various supplies and services. Most were the same or at a savings from last year, with the largest savings being in property/casualty insurance, which will cost $10,000 less than last year. Long credited the savings to the physical plant being in better shape overall, and operating fewer vehicles. He said he hopes employees using the exercise equipment will ultimately result in a reduction of health insurance premiums.
Housing Rental Reviewed
The board reviewed the rental agreement for school houses, and a listing of rents charged for various houses. After improvements to most school housing units, rents have gone up from lows of $70 and highs of $100 monthly in 1999-2000 to present lows of $70 and highs of $150 monthly. Total rental income in ’99-’00 was $1,520 per month and is now $2,130.
Board member Karla Hoelscher said rent should be more if houses are rented to the public rather than to school employees, and Carl Hoelscher said it’s not good to rent to the public if there are people with private houses for rent.
Elementary Principal Ken Hoskins said summer school was a success, and had good attendance. As their end-of-school field, the students were taken to Lubbock for a meal at Furr’s, a tour of the Science Spectrum and an IMAX movie, “Forces of Nature.”
The school board will review the school’s proposed new budget at their Aug. 9 meeting. Long said tax evaluations should be “way up,” but he won’t have figures until late July.