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Hereford BRAND Volume 118 | Number 15 WHAT'S INSIDE
Proudly Serving The High Plains Since 1901
TEA gives HISD ‘C’ for 2017-18
By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
Work group stays conservation course Page 4
Lady Whitefaces snap volleyball slide Page 8
Netters lackluster in romp past Caprock
Hereford Independent School District
In the first official report grade on student academic accountability doled out to state school systems by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Hereford Independent School District (HISD) was average. TEA released preliminary accountability ratings and assessed grade to school systems last week for the first time as part of an academic accountability measure passed two years by the state legislature. Virtually identical to previous ratings – with the exception of the letter grade – HISD would have taken a step back from last year and another back from two years ago were it not for problems experienced with online testing during April STAAR tests. Although receiving just a “C” grade, HISD was deemed as “met standard” for the 2017-18 school year with an overall district score of 77. Like 2016-17, all but one HISD
2017-18 TEA Preliminary Accountability Ratings HISD – Overall score: 77; Rating – Met standard; no distinctions; GRADE: C Stanton Learning Center* – Overall score: 84; Rating – Met standard; not eligible for distinctions Aikman Elementary – Overall score: 84; Rating – Met standard; 3 of 6 distinctions Bluebonnet Elementary – Overall score: 83; Rating – Met standard; 2 of 6 distinctions Northwest Elementary – Overall score: 70; Rating – Met standard; 1 of 6 distinctions Tierra Blanca Elementary – Overall score: 64; Rating – Met standard; no distinctions West Central Elementary – Overall score: 72; Rating – Met standard; no distinctions Hereford Junior High – Overall score: 89; Rating – Met standard; 5 of 5 distinctions Hereford Preparatory Academy# - Overall score: 59; Rating – Met standard; no distinctions Hereford High – Overall score: 78; Rating – Met standard; no distinctions Hereford Center for Accelerated Learning – Overall score: 59; Rating – Improvement required; not eligible for distinctions. *As pre-K, Stanton’s rating is linked to a different district elementary school each year. For 2017-18, it was Aikman. #Should have been rated Improvement required, but TEA adjusted rating due to disruption to online testing in April. campus met standard, however, this is where the testing problems come into play. Per the official TEA preliminary
ratings, only Hereford Center for Accelerated Learning (HCAL) was rated “improvement required.” All the remaining HISD campuses
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– Aikman Elementary, Bluebonnet Elementary, Northwest Elementary, PLEASE SEE RATING | 5
'Ball rolling' on new center
FORECAST
Today
Mostly Sunny High: 95º Low: 68º HEAT ADVISORY
By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
Sunday
Mostly Sunny High: 95º Low: 69º
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of stories previously published in the BRAND that address subsequent questions and concerns raised by officials and citizens over a proposed new civic center in Hereford. This entry from Feb. 10 deals with city commission approval to solicit construction bids.)
Monday
Sunny High: 98º Low: 69º
Tuesday
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Mostly Sunny High: 96º Low: 66º
Wednesday
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Mostly Sunny High: 94º Low: 66º
Thursday
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Sunny High: 96º Low: 68º
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Friday
The final obstacle has been cleared and plans for Hereford’s new civic center are moving forward after the Amarillo College (AC) Board of Regents approved the sale of property during its January meeting. The future of the proposed center hinged on acquisition from AC of 6.2588 acres where it is to be built. The land is adjacent to the AC West 15 th Street Hereford campus between it and the Department of Public Safety building. With state law requiring public entities to sell land to other public entities at appraised market value, the Hereford City Commission unanimously approved an ap-
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Sunny High: 96º Low: 67º
INDEX
10 pages | $1.00
Page 2............Obituaries Page 3......Public Record Page 4....................News Page 5....................News Page 6..........Community Page 8..................Sports Page 9...........Classifieds Page 10........Community
Hereford Preparatory Academy eighth-graders, from left, Lillie Skiles, Emma Cooper and Clara Sims feel the beat and do the bleacher boogie to the tunes wafting through Whiteface Gym during warm-ups for Tuesday's varsity volleball match against Dumas. BRAND/John Carson
County greases budget process, OKs raises, insurance By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
© 2018 Hereford BRAND A division of Roberts Publishing Group
PLEASE SEE CENTER | 3
Although it took longer than expected, the Deaf Smith County Commissioners Court gave approval to a pair of issues earlier this month that allowed the pro-
verbial grease to be put the county’s budget process. Although Deaf Smith County Judge D.J. Wagner noted he and county auditor Trish Brown had “worked” and “tweaked” the initial budget before presentation, the overall process had reached a
bit of a bottleneck pending final numbers. The final numbers needed were whether to include a raise for county employees and the exact amount of the annual health insurance premium. Both items were topics of a budget workshop that
opened the court’s Aug. 14 regular meeting. Commissioners had little problems approving an across-theboard, 3 percent raise for county employees despite a dissenting PLEASE SEE COUNTY | 5