El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 98, No. 85, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 15, 1983 Page: 1 of 26
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Wharton County Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Wharton County Library.
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Minnie Pearl
Does Her Thing
—In Look
Last Second Stunning
— Page 9-A
County's Holidays — Page 2-A
Volunteer
Honored
—Page 6-A
BfJ.' i ■ A'Xm* * «* Jf?.* -
Leader-N e ws
SVOBODA 1885
CITIZEN 1900
VOLUME 98 NUMBER 85
77437
El Campo, Texas, Saturday, January 15, 1983
25 CENTS
2 SECTIONS 28 PAGES
Superintendent Quits
During Friday Session
Support Our Schools
An organizational meeting of a non-profit group called Support Onr
Schools met Thursday evening in the Hutchins Elementary gym at 7:30
p.m. Larry Throm, new El Campo ISD assistant superintendent for
finances, explained to the large gathering how the call for a rollback oc-
curred, and what it will mean to the district if it passes.
SOS
_____- 9
Help Pledged For Local Schools
By Concerned ECISD Residents
Superintendent Jack Birtchet’s
resignation was accepted
unanimously by the El Campo
Independent School District board
of trustees after a lengthy
A 1983 budget was adopted and
committee chairmen were elected
Wednesday at the monthly
meeting of the El Campo
Chamber of Commerce and
Agriculture.
The upcoming annual banquet
was also discussed.
The expense budget for the new
year grew by $4,291, which is 6.9
percent more than the $57,569 in
expenses in 1982. The expense
budget for 1983 is $61,860.
Small increases came in the
areas of salaries, annual banquet,
committees and utilities.
Chamber directors were told
that this year’s Grande Days
should net approximately $6,500,
which is about $5,000 more than
net in 1982. One reason for the
projected increase is that many
items which were bought for
Grande last year are being stored
for re-use, and will therefore not
constitute an expense this year.
The income budget in 1983
actually dropped slightly from
1982 from $63,350 to $63,000.
The budget for 1983 does not
reflect a projected increase in
membership, so any new mem-
bers will only serve to help
strengthen »he organization.
Bob Noster, a tri-chairman of
the annual banquet which will be
held Thursday at 7:30 p.m., said
reserved tables are still available
at$15each
The menu will feature steak,
executive session Friday morning
atSa.m.
Die meeting was re-opened to
the public at about 9:20 and Jerry
Collier made a motion to accept
while the program will feature a
change of officers, the “Citizen of
the Year” and what is expected to
be a funny program by Jerry
Clower, a humorist and star of the
Grand Ole Opry.
Tickets may be purchased at
the Chamber office.
The Wharton County Cotton and
Grain Clinic, to be held Feb. 9,
was also discussed. Only about
half of the needed sponsors are in,
according to Carolina Vitera,
Chamber secretary.
Approximately 50 local models
have been obtained to model all-
cotton garments. A barbecue
meal will be served. Registration
fee for the all-day clinic and meal
is $2 per person.
Committee chairmen for 1983
are: Agri-Business, James
Pilgreen; Retail Merchants, Paul
DeLomel; Transportation, Mark
Byrom; Membership and
Finance, Robert Wilkins;
Government Affairs, Bill
Jenkins; Industrial, Bill Rioux
and Jerry Collier.
School and Youth, Larry
Throm; Tourism, E.R. Rowton;
Parade and Float, Willis Vickery
and Don Davis; Research and
Development, Bob Noster;
Beautification, Ann Leach, Water
Resources and Drainage, Robert
Nilson; By-Laws and Dues
Review, Peggy Manske; Grande
Days, Bill McFarland; and
Special Meetings, Glenn Frels
Birtchet’s resignation, effective
Feb. 1, and to appoint the
president and secretary of the
board to make contractual
arrangements to that effect. The
motion was seconded by Gilbert
Escamilla and passed
unanimously.
The board also unanimously
approved W.E. “Bill” Dowden,
assistant superintendent for
administration, to take Birtchet’s
place until a new superintendent
is hired.
Board president Richard
Manske said, “(The resignation)
was by mutual agreement. It
involved a multitude of things In
our present situation, we felt we
needed new leadership.”
Manske added that Birtchet
would have been eligible for
retirement benefits in July, and
the resignation would be made
effective to that date.
Dowden prepared a written
statement on his policies, which
reads, in part, “At this moment,
our number one objective is
continuing to concentrate on
teaching and learning. We have a
good instructional program and
we have documented evidence
that we are achieving positive
results.”
Dowden added that the second
concern is the rollback petition
which has been presented to the
school district, “...the bottom line
is we are talking about a school
cutback’ program which will
produce devastating results for
the educational programs of our
children,” the statement reads.
Birtchet was named as
superintendent-elect in 1974, and
worked with George Thigpen for
the 1974-75 school year before
taking the office on his own in
1975.
He began his educational career
in Houston, where he taught for
two years He moved to El Campo
in 1953 and served as a teacher
and coach until 1963, when he was
promoted to assistant principal.
By OWEN ELLINGTON
Support Our Schools (SOS), a
group of concerned citizens op-
posing the passage of a tax
rollback, rallied their forces
Thursday night in the Louise
Hutchins Elementary School
Gym.
Almost 500 zealous parents,
students, educators and civic
leaders attended the first meeting
By EKED BARBEE
Construction for 1982 in El Cam-
po belied national statistics, show-
ing a healthy increase over 1981,
according to John Steelman, city
building inspector
Residential starts were up. but
many El Campoans also con-
tinued a strong trend to remodel
rather than build, year-end
figures show
There were 38 permits taken out
for new residences, up from 31 a
year ago. hut the average price
scarf'd from $55,081 m 1981 to
$79,733 in 1982
Of the .38 residential permit* in
1982 Steelman estimates |N-rhaps
15 in the till! $150 thousand class
with a range from $8H**i to
$376 10*1
I'crmils to renualel totalled 258
down from last year s 271. tail the
cost was close with $842 577 in 82
and $876 405 Hi HI
Another iaaist In I9H2 figures
<ame on ihree |mniiti for 52
apartment at a |*«|o l*«t • <**■• of
Y*f ¥*<
that began with an explanation of
what the group intended to ac-
complish, and the election of
officers.
City Councilman Cecil Davis,
who called the meeting and was
later elected its chairman, said
the purpose of the group should be
to “inform the public of exactly
what this rollback is, and what the
implications of it would be ... on
Largest commercial permit*
went to LaKri-EI Haus Apart
ments. $900,000. the new special
education school building,
$430,000. the new county annex.
$270.(00). and Cedar Village Shop
ping Center, $190.(00)
Commercial remodeling was
listed at $794,864 Total permits
for the year came to $7,656,540
compared to $6,250,386 in 1981
A look at the past 10 years in El
Campo building shows that an
average residential permit in 1972
was for $18,036, while total
building permit* were $1,117,295
In 1973 the average residential
permit was for $28 4 Ki in 1974 it
went to $35,604 but in 1975 and
1976 the figure dropfx-d to $29 t**i
Price* moved up and field at
$39 i**i in 1977 and 1978 moved In
$41 <**» in 1979 and droptied bai k
slightly in 1980 to an average |*< i
mil of $4o «*■•
The 1982 budding permit lidgl i»
vo ond only to the all tun* record
*9 517 *19 in |9Mf< * > •< * o.i I ell d
our district.”
Larry Throm, El Campo School
District's assistant superin-
tendent for finance, gave a brief
history on "the causes of our
dilemma (the reason why El
Campo had to raise its school
taxes),” and what monetary
effects the passage of a tax
rollback would be
“Thirty years of conservatism
is what got us into this shape.”
Throm said, "30 years of little
building, 30 years of little
maintenance on our buildings and
22 years of not one single local
salary increase for our teachers’
monthly checks."
Another problem Throm
mentioned is the postponement of
payment on the principle of $1
million worth of school bonds
issued by the school board in 1972
“We have been paying ap-
proximately $51,(0K) each year for
10 years <on the bonds),” Throm
said “And would you guess how
much we still owe on this bond
issue’’ $1 million We have only
lx*en paying the interest; we
haven't paid any principle Next
year is the first year we are going
to make a principle payment on
that bond issue
Throm said the mam reason the
district hits a high tax rate is
because much of the property in
El Campo is undervalued He
added that because the Central
Appraisal District is re assessing
ibe value of property th»* year,
the values of property in El
Campo will go up and therefore
the tii* rate will come down
although this will not bring down
the amount of taxes collected
Mlcr throm spoke the
lollo < mg oftu er* Ai-fo elerled by
at < I,. Oi at loll < ei il Davi*
it on < Di < ImiU Nudeison
s • v»s I'agr !
HMn Im I HgflvT
Building Progress
Kwiiding permits in El < amp** were up In IM2 over !W|. at« o«<1ing In $ I
( imp* rNf affiriih TW p* Ixrr k* l*»J look* esrn brighter rspri lallv
M ItgM «f dropping iNlerest rates Home OtoMtng M $.1 1 ampn Ux* a
(real leap forward fw Use Heal quarter of !*■/ and the trend inwfiNwrs
Chamber Budget
Increases Slightly
Building Permits
Show Steady Gain
•see l*$ HMIts I**,., !
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Barbee, Chris. El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 98, No. 85, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 15, 1983, newspaper, January 15, 1983; El Campo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1006814/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Wharton County Library.