Duval County Picture (San Diego, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 4, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 27, 1993 Page: 1 of 8
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Trustees beam over
new school buses,
Page 3
Wednesday, January 27, 1
Chances of showers,
thunderstorms in
late week forecast
N
Smral
County
Picture
^ We tell it like it is!”
• ■
Vol. 8 No. 4
San Diego. Texas
Thirty Five Cents
SDISD looking into
year-round school
Year-round schools is being
closely studied by San Diego ISD
and may be in the offering as early
as next year. No decision, how-
ever, have been made as yet.
: . Superintendent Eloy P. Guerra
told board members, at their
tegular meeting of Jan. 21, that
teachers and administrators have
had several meetings to review
the prospects of year-round
schools. The concept is one that is
being pushed by the Texas Edu-
cation Agency, said Guerra.
•% The superintendent pointed out
that the board needed to take-spe-
cific steps soon if they wanted to
implement the concept next school
year. A calendar and budget con-
siderations need to be taken into
account, said Guerra.
"Get the finance department to
start working on the budget,"
trustee Tommy Molina told Guer-
fa. -
• *- The board also asked Guerra
to get more parent and community
input into the process.
The district is also looking into
the possibility of an "alternative
high school" for "students who
are not learning the traditional
way," said Guerra. He offered no
specifics on die progress on the
proposal.
Guerra also reported to the
board that average daily atten-
dance was behind the district's
goals. The attendance figure is
important, said Guerra, because it
is what the state uses to fund local
school districts.
"We have continuously been
having problems," said Guerra.
The high school has had the most
absenteeism.
The board also tabled action,
after a closed door discussion, on
the prospect of a "closed campus"
at the high school. The issue gad ned
momentum after a high school
girl was allegedly threatened with
an abduction two weeks ago.
The board directed Guerra to
hold hearings with high school
teachers, students and parents to
see what their consensus was on
the proposal.
In the meantime, the board
hired constables Roel Perez and
Lupe Ibarra to provide additional
security during the noon lunch
hour.
In another high school related
issue, the board once again tabled
action on changes in the senior
trip policy. No recommendation
has been developed and the board
toldGuerrra if none was available
for its next meeting the issue
would no longer be considered by
the board. The request for a policy
change has been on and off the
board's agenda for over a year.
In personnel matters, the board
supported a Guerra recommenda-
tion on two new teacher aides
only after voting down a proposal
not to approve his choices for the
positions. Guerra recommended
the hiring of Gloria L. Saenz and
Yolanda Perez as aides for the
pre-kindergarten and special edu-
cation, respectively.
Trustee Esperanza Torres,
backed by Juan Antonio Perez,
moved that Guerra's recom-
mendation be rejected and that
Melissa Valdez and Maria Luisa
Vela be hired instead. The motion
was ruled out of order by board
president Librado "Mac" Bernal
because he said Guerra's recom-
mendation should be considered
before other proposals were
placed into a motion.
Torres and Perez then moved
to reject Guerra's recommenda-
tion but she was outvoted 4-2,
with Bernal, Molina, Rene Perez
and Librada "Libby" Vela voting
against and Claudio Hinojosa
abstaining. Molina then motioned
to accept the superintendent’s
recorrimendatioti and the motion
carried.
In other personnel action, the
board:
• authorized Guerra to
advertise and hire a professional
administrator as a part-time at-
tendance officer/visiting teacher;
• authorized Guerra to adver-
tise for a licensed vocational nurse
and a painter;
• hired Gracie Pizzini as a pre-
kendergarten teacher and Selina
Montemayor Rodriguez as athrid
grade teacher;
• hired E. B. Garcia as a part
time teacher for dyslexia services;
• hired Edmundo Garza to pro-
vide security for home games;
and
• hired Olga Uresti of Coastal
Home Healthcare, Inc. to provide
part time registered nurse ser-
vices.
The board also approved,
pending areviewby their attorney,
of the purchase of the old Vaquero
Motel restaurant/club building by
the Duval County Appraisal Dis-
trict.
Water district reduces
salaries, will raise rates
by Alfredo E. Cardenas
Editor/Publisher
SAN DIEGO - The Duval
County Conservation and Recla-
mation District Boardof Directors
voted, on Thursday, Jan. 21, to
reduce salaries of some employ-
ees as part of a move to "become
legalized."
In addition to the cutback in
salaries, the board reduced em-
ployee health insurance benefits.
They are also poised to raise waste
and sewer rates by 250 each, said
manager Rodolfo Bazan.
"This is only the beginning,"
said Bazan. "There’s more to come.
"We want to become legalized
by the end of the fiscal year in
June."
— Rodolfo Bazan
Water District Manager
There will be more reductions."
Bazan said the district is pre-
paring itself for 1996 when it will
no longer be able to tax. The first
step will be to stop collecting the
"illegal" tax the district has been
assessing.
The district has authority to tax
only to $180,000. The district,
however, currently brings in
$500,000 in taxes, or some
$320,000 over what they have
authority to tax.
The reduction of salaries, rang-
ing from $48 to $454 monthly,
will only save the district $52,800.
The district will save another
$22,275 by cutting insurance
benefits. It currently pays 78 per-
cent of both employee and de-
pendent coverage. Under the new
policy they will pay only 50 per-
cent.
"We want to become legalized
by the end of the fiscal year in
June," said Bazan.
The district will stop collect-
ing the excess tax in July of this
year. That will cut people's taxes
by better than half, said Bazan.
The cuts and increased rates,
S«WATER Page?
Garcia murder trial in second week
SAN DIEGO - Testimony
resumed yesterday in the murder
trial of Juan Manuel Garcia Jr.
who is accusedof killing Francisco
Cantu Jr. on March 31,1992. The
trial began on Tuesday, Jan. 19
and recessed over the weekend.
Both Garcia and Cantu were
implicated in a grave digging
incident of a Freer infant, prior to
the shooting. Authorities believe
that the shooting was connected*)
the grave digging escapade.
In testimony last week, Gar-
cia's wife Zulema testified that she
had helped Garcia's sister dispose
of a rifle believed by investigators
to be the murder weapon. Zulema
Garcia said she called Freer Chief
of Police George Gomez a week
later to report the incident.
In other testimony, Nueces
County medical examiner Dr.
Joseph Rupp told the jury that he
removed seven slugs from Cantu's
body and left other fragments in
the body. Officers found 12 spent
sheHs at the murder scene. l •
William Sorrow, a balistics
expert with the Texas Department
of Public Safety, testified that he
was able to indentify several bul-
lets as having been fired from the
rifle believed to have been used in
the shooting. Police reportedly
found the .22 caliber semi-auto-
matic where Zulema Garcia told
them it would be.
Assistant District Attorney Ru-
dy Gutierrez said the state would
probably rest its case by today.
Defense Attorney David Towler
from San Antonio said he eoukl
not speculate on when the trial
would end because what witnesses
he would call depended on the tes-
timony put on by he state. Gutierrez
said he thought the trial, being
held at this 229th District Court-
room in San Diego, would end by
Friday, Jan. 29.
The defendant is charged with
aggravated murder and if found
guilty could serve five years to
life. Because of prior convictions
his minimum sentence would be
25 years, said Gutierrez.
Juan Manuel Garcia, Jr. is
currently serving a three year term
in the state penitentiary for the
grave digging conviction.
Benavides contracts for garbage
pick-up with Corpus Christi firm
by Roy Salnas
Staff Writer
BENAVIDES - The local City
Council changed their mind on the
way to collect garbage and voted
tocontract with a private company
instead of doing it themselves.
Local residents will now pay $8
per month instead of the $7
previously approved.
The action came at the city's
regular meeting held Wednesday,
Jan. 20. Representatives from
Western Waste Industries in
Corpus Christi, which was one of
the companies that put in a bid for
the garbge collection presented
Mayor F. H. Canales Jr. and the
City Council with a report on what
the city could expet to have as far
as expenses were concerned if the
city did their own collection.
The estimates were based on
the assumption that a household
generates 65 pounds pe/ week of
garbage. A garbage truck,
including fuel and repairs, would
rant about $750 and the labor cost
was estimated at $1,150per month,
which comes to a total of $1,800
per month as the cost to the City of
Benavides. The city would then
have to figure in what the cost
would be for the disposal of the
trash.
Jim Wright, Western Waste
Terminal Manager, told the council
that the City would be spending
$7.30 per household for collection.
Western Waste proposed
another option to theCityCouncil.
They will pick up the gaibage once
a week and cost die residents $8
per month and the city will be
collecting. Along with the
collection ofthe trash, the company
is going to also provide a 30 yard
recycling roll-off for $125 per
month for the container and the
city pays $200 per haul for the
dumping. The city wants to start to
enforce a recycling program. The
city will receive the proceeds from
the sale of marketable products.
Western will also provide, as
required, any assistance needed
for the City in development of a
mulching or chipping operation.
The company will collect com-
mercial loads with a limit of 10 35
gallon bags per week. Businesses
having larger needs may request a
dumpster bin at quoted rates and
those commercial customers shall
be billed by Western Waste.
After discussion, the council
agreed to go along with the pro-
posal and signed an agreement with
Western Waste for the month of
February and during this period
See BENAVIDES Page 7
SDISD scores show improvement
SAN DIEGO - Local school
trustees gave their staff a "standing
Ovation" after receiving reports that
shbwed all tested classes improv-
ing in the Texas Assessment of
Academic Skills. High school
students led the way in the im-
proved scores.
-* Seniors, who must pass the
TAAS to graduate, performed
better than state averages. Of those
seniors tested in math, 62 percent
passed compared to the state
average of only 41 percent. In
reading. SDHS seniors passed at
an 81 percent rate, compared to 48
percent of the state and in writing
the local seniors scored 92 percent,
compared to the state average of
54 percent
: In all
San Diago High School
Exit Lovoi TAAS Results
H INI ■ IMS ■ M*
all three categories seniors
nearly doubled last year's scores.
Despite die improved scores, 12
seniors still need to pass one or
more of the exams to graduate.
Twelve need to master math, five
need to do better in reading and
one must pass the writing test.
Seniors will have one more
opportunity to pass theTAAS. The
writing test will be given in March
and the other two subject areas
will be tested in the first week t>f
May.
Juniors also topped last year's
scores and nearly matched or
exceeded state averages. Their best
subject appeared to be writing
where they scored an 84 percent
passing, compared to a state ave-
rage of 83 percent and tolast year's
juniors who scored a 74 percent.
In reading, this year's juniors
passed at a rate of 72 percent com-
pared to last year's scores of only
38 percent. The state avearage in
reading is 76 percent In math, ju-
niors passed at a 54 percent rate
compared to last Year's passing
score of a mere 22 percent. The
state average is 60 percent.
An "improved attitude" Is what
Assistant High School Principal
Carmelinda Garcia attributed to
the higher scores. She also pointed
to after school tutoring as an
important ingredient in their
success.
The junior high scores were
not nearly as impressive. While
seventh graders improved over last
year, they still lagged behind state
averages.
In reading the seventh graders
improved four points to 34 percent
passing while the state average is
51 percent. In writing they went
up three points to a 58 passing
percentage. The seventh grade
math scores went from 29 to 36
percent, still 15 points behind the
state average of 51 percent.
Third graders had similar
improvements, although their
scores more closely approached
state averages. In math, in fact,
they scored a 90 percent, above
the state's 84 percent.
Third grade reading scores
went up five points to 65 percent,
but are still back of the state's 74
per-cent. In writing the state
percentage stood at 68 percent,
while local third graders scored 47
percent, up four points from last
year.
Elementary school principal
Maxine Payne pointed out to the
school board that the math classes
had the more "veteran” teachers,
while "new hires” were teaching
reading and writing.
Raymond tells Freer
banquet he is proud of
Duval County roots
FREER -The Freer Chamber
of Commerece held there 30th
Annual Banquet this past Satur-
day, Jan. 23. There guest speaker
was State Representative from
District 44 Richard Raymond.
Raymond spoke of the
changes which have taken place
through the last 30 years and of
the opportunities which He ahead
for the City of Freer and for foe
County of Duval. Opportunity is
knocking at our door with the
North American Free Trade
Agreement, said Raymond. He
"folly supports" foe NAFTA and
feels that one of foe main things
which he would like tosee happen
is help organize the Chambers of
Commerece from Nueces County
ail foe way to l arerio. including
the Rio Grande Valley, together appreciation to the Freer Cham
for a summit ao that they can all her of Commerece for allowing
work together and see this hhn to make his maiden speech
become a reality. as a state representative in a city
All of South Texas will benefit and county where his roots are
from NAFTA,sakJRayaaoml He from "My grandparents came
expressed Ml gratitude and gee RAYMOND Pay 7
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Cardenas, Alfredo E. Duval County Picture (San Diego, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 4, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 27, 1993, newspaper, January 27, 1993; San Diego, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1006184/m1/1/: accessed July 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .