Levelland and Hockley County News-Press (Levelland, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 49, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 18, 1983 Page: 1 of 22
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Levelland And
r~
Hockley County
IE FIVE T?UMBER49
SPC regents tour new campus construction
Give their okay
Bill Barnett
to be honored
by Texas Tech
Bill Barnett, Lubbock ban-
ker and chairman of the board
of the First National Bank in
Levelland, has been named one
of four 1983 distinguished
alumni by the Texas Tech
University Ex-Students Asso-
ciation.
Barnett and the other
honorees will be honored at the
annual distinguished alumni
dinner at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 30 in
the University Center Ballroom
on the Tech campus. A 6 p.m.
reception in the adjacent court-
yard will precede the dinner.
In addition to chairing the
board of the local First National
Bank, Barnett is chairman and
chief executive officer of First
National Bank in Lubbock and
chairman of the board and chief
executive officer of the Level-
land Company, which owns the
First National Bank of Level-
land and interests in Bank of
the West and First National
Bank, both of Lubbock.
A 1944 graduate of Texas
Tech, he is also chairman of the
board of Brazos, Inc. and its
See BARNETT Page 2
CONTEMPLATING A SWIM--The South Plains
College Board of Regents was pleased with
construction and renovations which have taken
place on the campus over the summer. The regents
toured the new facilities Tuesday. The improve-
ments include a new mass communications build-
ing, improvements to the library, student union
building, track building, technical arts building, and
natatorium. Pictured from left are regents L.C.
Kearney and Gordon Martin with Earl Gerstenber-
ger, vice-president of academic affairs, as the group
toured the natatorium. The building was painted
throughout and received additional lighting and
ventilation in the pool area. (Staff Photo)
SPECO meets needs of special child
By Jo Spears
Staff Writer
The South Plains Educational
Coop is not the average learning
program, but its participants are
not the average students. It’s
special education for special
children.
Pat Tubb, elementary in-
structional supervisor with
SPECO, said the majority of the
children involved are learning
disabled, and a small percentage
are mentally retarded children
who have a high level learning
ability. Physically handicapped
children, such as the blind and
deaf, also receive services
through SPECO.
SPECO was formed in 1972,
the second year that Texas
schools implemented Plan A, the
state legislation that provided
for handicapped students to
have a free and appropriate
education.
Kenneth Moore, director of
SPECO, said that prior to Plan
A, testing of special education
students was very limited, as
was funding. If a child was
determined to be mentally re-
tarded, he was put in a class
with other mentally retarded
students, and he remained in
that class the entire day.
After Plan A went into effect,
Moore said there was more
funding available, but the big-
gest change was in testing.
Instead of only one or two tests,
a barrage of tests are now used
to determine a child’s skills and
learning ability. The students
are also mainstreamed into the
public education system, spend-
ing the majority of the day in
regular classes and only three
special education classes.
Texas was one of the leading
states in providing better educa-
tion for disabled students.
Moore said that by the time
federal law required better op-
portunities for the handicappe
the Texas program was already
in full swing.
SPECO is involved in 11
South Plains school districts.
The office is based in Levelland,
and the staff travels to the
surrounding areas, offering sup-
port to the teachers in the
individual schools.
According to Moore, Level-
land makes up most of the co-op,
with about one half of the
teachers and one half of the
students There are various pro-
grams and curricula available to
students of all levels.
Tubb said that it is a state
requirement that the students be
considered learning disabled to
be able to participate in the
program. The process to deter-
mine whether the student meets
this requirement involves the
r_
14WP,1 ..____NCE DAY PARADE-The annual cele-
bration of Mexico’s independence was held Thurs-
day and Friday with traditional dances, presentation
of the Fiesta Queen and her court and a parade
through downtown Levelland. Here Teresa Garcia,
the 1982 Mexican Queen, is shown with her
attendants in the parade. The reigning Queen,
crowned Thursday night is Elvia Martinez, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Inez Martinez. Other honorees are
Veronica Velardez, American Queen; and Monica
Rodriquez, Maria C. Guajardo, and Linda Castillo,
princesses. (Staff Photo)
SPECO staff, school personnel
and the parents.
The students are usually
referred to SPECO through reg
ular teachers, but Tubb said
they do receive several referrals
a year from parents who, like the
teachers, feel the student is not
performing to his potential
After referral, the student
goes through a testing process,
which includes an evaluation
from a licensed diagnostician, to
identify where the problem area
is. Then an Admission, Referral
and Dismissal committee, made
up of the parents, school person-
nel and SPECO staff members
involved in the testing, meets to
decide on the appropriate place-
ment of the student and to
develop a curriculum based on
his individual strengths and
weaknesses.
Tubb said because the par-
See SPECO Page 2
Enrollment
up 4.6 percent
at college
Enrollment at South Plains
College for the 1983 fall semes-
ter is up 4.6 percent system-
wide, according to Bobby
James, SPC registrar.
A final enrollment count was
made Wednesday on the 12th
class day, James said, and it
shows that 3,565 students have
registered for clashes. A total of
3,407 students were registered
during the 1982 fall semester.
The figure sets a new all-
time high enrollment record for
the college, and is the seventh
consecutive enrollment increase
for SPC.
The campus breakdown
shows that 2,015 students have
registered for classes on the
Levelland campus, up 2.9 per-
cent over last fall’s enrollment of
1,959 students. This is the first
time enrollment has topped
2,000 at the Levelland campus.
SPC’s Lubbock campus has en-
rolled 1,202 students, up 20
percent over the 1,002 students
who registered a year ago.
Enrollment at the college’s ex-
tension program at Reese Air
Force Base is also up 14.3
percent over last fall, with 422
students registered as compared
to 369 a year ago. An additional
69 students have enrolled in
other off-campus programs.
The campus breakdown con-
tains some duplication, aakl
See ENROLLMENT Page 2
for summer work
After a one and a half hour
grand tour of recent renova-
tions and remodelings under-
taken during the summer
months, South Plains College
Board of Regents gave, their
approval to the work which
includes a new mass communi-
cations building, improvements
to the natatorium, technical
arts building, library, track
building, and student union
building. -
The mo9t noticeable
changes were made in the
student union building which
was totally renovated. The
structure includes a new cafeter-
ia, kitchen, snack bar, game
room, dining room, ball rooms,
meeting rooms, bookstore, post
office, physical fitness area,
mall area, and offices.
— Much of the work to this
area of the campus is complete
including the cafeteria, game
room, and snack bar; however,
work is still underway in the
mall area which includes the
bookstore and several meeting
rooms.
Also a total renovation is
the new mass communications
building, formerly the welding
shop. The building will house
classes in both broadcast and
print journalism and includes a
modern television studio, con-
trol room, editing room, news
room and a photographic dark
room.
The natatorium also recei-
ved a facelift over the summer
with repainting throughout the
building and installation of ad-
ditional lighting and ventilation
in the pool area
Several departments in the
technical arts building were
refurbished with the main work"
concentrated in drafting, com-
See TOUR Page 2
City sales tax receipts
remain steady locally
Sales tax payments to the
Gi^r of Levelland took a slight
dip in September, with receipts
after nine months running 11.11
percent behind 1982 figures.
The September payment to
the city of $37,885 brings the
total to date to $485,103. That
leaves city coffers short around
$60,000 as compared to last
year’s sales tax receipts through
September, which totaled $545,-
736.
The September payment
from the state government rep-
resents the city's one-percent
share of sales taxes levied on
purchases. This month’s remit-
tance represents taxes collected
locally on sales made in July by
merchants.
Although the payments have
consistently been behind this
year, City Manager Greg Ing-
ham said he is encouraged
because this year’s figures as
compared to last year's are
running about the same each
month.
“We feel like we've still got
a lot of strength in our economy
$35,000
$30,000
and we re hoping it won't drop
any more." Ingham said.
“We’re staying in the same
general range so at least it’s not
getting any worse.''
Last month's payments to
Levelland brought the total for
the year closest to last year’s
figures-down 10.79 percent-
since February, when the ac-
count was only 4.4 percent
behind the first two months of
1982.
Statewide payments to the
974 cities which levy city sales
taxes are running about one
percent behind. The government
sent checks totaling $41.1 mil-
lion this month
Payments to the four Hockley
County cities which collect sales
taxes are 16.5 percent behind
last year. The cities have collect-
ively received $567,739 so far
this year as compared to pay-
ments totaling $679,930 by Sep-
tember of 1982.
In Sundown payments are
down 44.72 percent for the year,
an improvement of almost two
See TAX Page 2
$25,000
$20,000
j| $15,000
$10,000
$5,000
FUNDRAISING TIME- Efforts
are well underway to raise
some $35,000 to acquire a
Holiday Wonderland complete
with Santa house and all types
of similar Christmas houses
and decorations. The fund
raising effort kicked off last
Monday and has already re-
sulted in $7,650 being ear-
marked for the project. The
first report meeting for volun-
teers working on the project is
Tuesday morning.
Wonderland
fundraiser
underway
Levelland’s community wide
effort to raise $35,000 to acquire
a unique Holiday Wonderland is
well on its way with $7,650
already accounted for just four
days after the kickoff.
The fund raising effort kick-
ed off Monday morning with
some 25 volunteers turning out
for the 7 a m meeting. Since
then a couple of dozen additional
workers have been added to the
list of volunteers working on
behalf of the community project.
The first report meeting is
set for 7 a m. Tuesday at the
Bounty. All team captains and
their workers are encouraged to
be present for that session.
Already workers are report-
ing success as campaign chair-
man Carl Reed reported Friday
morning that $7,650 of the gqal
was already committed That
represents 21.8 percent of the
goal.
The Holiday Wonderland will
consist of a large Santa house,
six small houses similar to the
one on display on the west side
of the courthouse, animated
figures and toys inside each of
the houses, a huge artificial,
decorated Christmas tree, cut
out Christmas characters and
scenes, a nativity scene and all
types of lights and similar
holiday(decorations. It would be
set up every year prior to
Christmas at Lobo Lake
I
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Taylor, Beverly. Levelland and Hockley County News-Press (Levelland, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 49, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 18, 1983, newspaper, September 18, 1983; Levelland, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1147713/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting South Plains College.