Saturday, February 25, 2017
Volume 116 | Number 69
www.herefordbrand.com
8 Pages, $1
Make Newspapers Great Again FORECAST
K e e p o f f t h e g ras s
Today Sunny, High: 56 Low: 33 Sunday Mostly Sunny, High: 62 Low: 34 Monday Sunny/Wind, High: 66 Low: 41 Tuesday Partly Cloudy/Wind, High: 69 Low: 33 Wednesday Sunny, High: 56 Low: 30 Thursday Sunny, High: 64 Low: 31
WHAT'S INSIDE
By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
BRAND/John Carson
Above, bottom, drivers cutting donuts in the weather-softened grounds of Veterans Memorial Park create an eyesore and safety issues, as well as lasting effects that stretch far beyond a rain ending or snow melting. Below, several signs are prominently displayed on light poles at Veterans Memorial Park specifically prohibiting motor vehicles from leaving the roadway.
Drivers creating problems at park By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
City outstanding warrant list Page 3
Weekly Bonus Page 5
An ongoing problem at Veterans Memorial Park has drawn the attention of at least one member of the Hereford City Commission. During the board member comment portion of a work session that preceded Monday’s regular city commission meeting, Place 5 Commissioner Cathy Bunch inquired about what is essentially vandalism at the park. Her specific concern was over deep tire ruts cut into the grounds of the park by motor vehicles. “People are tearing up the grassy areas of the part when the weather is bad –
whether it’s rain or snow,” she said. “It’s hard enough to grow grass in the Panhandle. With no sprinklers there, it just keeps the park from being nice. “What people do in the winter there affects how it looks in the summer.” Bunch had become aware of the problem via daily walks through the park with her dog. While much of the problem has been laid at the feet of youths cutting donuts on the grassy areas when the ground is soft following a rain, she said the situation is not exclusive to youngsters. “It’s not just kids doing it,” Bunch said. “I’ve seen PLEASE SEE PARK | 7
HHS UIL teams emerge victorious Page 7
IN MEMORY OF Violet Barton Lola F. Veazey Juanita R. Estrada Page 2
INDEX Page 2 Obituries, Community Calendar Page 3 City of Hereford outstanding warrants Page 4 City of Hereford outstanding warrants Page 5 Classifieds, Weekly Bonus Page 6 Real Estate Page 7 News
Burn ban back on
Deaf Smith County’s on-again, off-again burn ban is back on. Deaf Smith County Judge D.J. Wagner reinstated the county-wide ban on outdoor burning Wednesday as he looked at current and forecasted weather conditions. “An abundance of fuel, high winds and low humidity are the recipe for hazardous fire conditions,” he said. “The biggest reason for reinstating it were wind conditions Thursday.” After a chamber-ofcommerce, spring-like Wednesday, Thursday brought continued high temperatures in the mid70s with vastly increased winds and lowered humidity. Winds dramatically increased Thursday and came from the westsouthwest at a sustained speed of 30-35 miles per hour with gusts up to 55 mph, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). In addition, humidity levels Thursday dropped into the single digits by the afternoon – further exacerbating the fire danger. Although temperatures were expected to drop over the next few days, winds were predicted to remain high with no precipitation. The NWS forecast for Saturday was for sunny skies, highs in the mid50s with decreased winds – 10-15 mph in the morning, increasing to 15-20 mph by the afternoon. Sunday and Monday are expected to be mostPLEASE SEE BAN | 7
HISD moves to become District of Innovation By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
Looking to take advantage of a new state law, Hereford Independent School District (HISD) is well on its way to becoming a District of Innovation (DOI). The law change – passed in the 84th Legislative session – effectively gives an independent school district many of the “flexibilities” previously only available to the state’s open enrollment charter schools. HISD took the first required steps toward that during its Jan. 23 meeting when the board of trustees approved a resolution to become a DOI, held a public hearing on the matter and appointed a committee to develop a DOI plan. Giving HISD the ability to make the move required the district have an acceptable performance rating with the state, HISD Superintendent Sheri Blankenship said during the public hearing. “[Becoming a DOI] will give greater local control over the education and instruction process for HISD students and increased flexibility, while maintaining accountability for student achievement and success,” she said. Becoming a DOI allows districts to make alterations to 10 different areas, including instructor certification, teacher contracts, the beginning and end of the school year, length of the school day, class size and teacher ratio, student discipline and the
District
of Innovation do’s and don’ts
ALL CAPS and bold denotes items HISD is specifically looking to utilize *includes state minimum salary schedule, duty-free lunch and planning periods
Allowable exemptions
Prohibited exemptions
EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION Teacher contracts FIRST AND LAST DAY OF SCHOOL LENGTH OF SCHOOL DAY Class size and teacher/student ratio Certain purchasing and contract requirements 90 percent attendance rule Student discipline provisions Teacher benefits* Teacher appraisal system
District governance PEIMS Criminal history record checks and educator misconduct reporting Curriculum and graduation requirements State assessment system State accountability system School finance Federal requirement Other requirements in state law outside of Education Code
teacher appraisal system. Of the 10 “allowable exemptions,” Blankenship said HISD was looking specifically only three – education certification, the first and last day of school, and length of the school day.
50Years Deaf Smith County Historical Museum
Much of the expediency in getting the ball rolling comes from a looming situation for the 2017-18 school year. PLEASE SEE HISD | 7
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