The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 245, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 12, 1993 Page: 1 of 20
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Lotto 2A
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Volume 71, No. 225
Thursday, August 12,1993
50 Cents Per Copy
Telephone Number: 422-8302
Baytown, Texas 77520
BH may share funds with Goose Creek
By Amit Z. Baruch the school district. Senate Bill 7 pro- funds with Goose Creek, rather than will realize as part of this plan is an
of The Beytown Sun vides wealthy school districts with five sending its $11 million to $12 million approximate $500,000 to $600,000
options as to how to reduce their in excess property wealth to the state to savings on its funding obligation. By
Goose Creek trustees Thursday will property wealth. divide among poor districts. entering into this arrangement with
consider entering into a contract with Currently, the Barbers Hill district “The district looked at its options for Goose Creek, Commissioner of Educa-
the Barbers Hill school district to has about $740,000 in property wealth divesting some property wealth and tion Lionel Meno has given Barbers
accept about $2 million from that per student. Barbers Hill voters will found that Option 4 (contracting with Hill a 5 percent discount on its funding
district as it divests itself of local participate in a referendum Saturday to another district) will save us some liability, to encourage the partnership,
property wealth to comply with Senate consider two of the five options the revenue,” said A1 Dennis, Barbers Hill “The commissioner is acting withrn
Bill 7, the state’s school funding equity legislation provides for school boards superintendent. “TTie other reason we’re his authority to grant these types of
plaa ‘ * ' ' ‘ ‘ .....
Griffith said that this is only the
second partnership Meno has approved
throughout the state so far. He added
that it is the first partnership which
Meno encouraged with a monetary
discount
If Barbers Hill voters reject both of
these options, the state can transfer
property wealth from Barbers Hill’s tax
rolls, or simply consolidate that district
with a poorer one. Both of these
options, officials say, will reduce the
Barbers Hill school board’s local con-
trol over the district.
3y Gray
ution by
ivert the
comply with Senate consider two of the five options the revenue,” said A1 Dennis, Barbers Hill
hod funding equity legislation provides for school boards superintendent. “TTie other reason we’re
to choose from to reduce some of their doing this is because we feel we can arrangements as long as they pertain
' help our students and staff through this directly to the advancement of
The Barbers Hill school board is arrangement (by sharing some resour- academics in the state,” said Dr. Harry
: • — *«-- ° *• j: ” Griffith, Goose Creek superintendent.
“It is part of the Senate Bill.”
Final agreement sought
The school finance legislation local property wealth,
requires property-wealthy school dis- —
tricts to bnng their local property encouraging voters to approve the ces with the Goose Creek district),
wealth down to $280,000 per student in option allowing the district to share
Another of the benefits Barbers Hill
Initial
OK given
for waiver
School officials
take ‘first step’
SWS'T-
Meno assisting
in districts’ contract
tions that would allow the
district to sign any agreement
with another school district, the
MONT BELVIEU — Bar- contract will be invalid and
bers Hill school Superintendent Barbers Hill will have to find an
A1 Dennis said W
the contract on the agendas for The district is required to
school board meetings in his bring its taxable property value
district and the Goose Creek per student down to $280,000
school district are only the first under Senate Bill 7, the state’s
step toward a final agreement latest school funding plaa Cur-
Dennis said there are three rently, Barbers Hill has a tax-
phases” that must be completed able value per student greater
before the plan gets final and than $700,000.
official approval. “This will be One attraction of this plan,
the first step in seeing the Dennis said, is that it mutually
agreement completed,” he said, beneficial to both districts,
Both school boards will first rather than just having Barbers
consider die concept of forming Hill send money back to the
an agreement to educate non- state,
resident students in another “If the approval is given at all
school district, then consider the levels,” he said, “We will see
contract to provide or accept some benefit to our students and
funding for “Project 2000” — our faculty on a limited basis.”
an educational program involv- Those benefits would include
ing support from universities the opportunity for Barbers Hill
and private corporations that students and teachers to paitici-
stems from Goose Creek’s pate in special educational and
revised Strategic Plan. staff development programs.
If both boards approve the “These are the types of edu-
contract, the agreement must cational programs that we need
then be
sioner of Education Lionel said.
“Skip” Meno. Dennis and Dennis said contract negotia-
Goose Creek Superintendent tions have been kept quiet until
Harry Griffith said Meno told it could be completed because
them informally three weeks of the three levels of approval,
ago that he would approve the “The legal contract that we’re
agreement, but he cannot take asking both boards to approve
official action on it until it is has just been completed,” he
approved by both boards. said. “And now we’re hoping
Meno must give his official that both boards will approve it.
opinion before a referendum is “The commissioner has given
held Saturday, and after the basic approval to this, but the
ta&KXJKK'S requirements require an official
fciS. iSSS d°. “"L-1
But if Meno and the two document has just been corn-
school boards approve the plan pleted. Prior to this, any infor-
and Barbers Hill voters Satur- mation wojjld have been
day turn down the two proposi- speculation and not fact”
By Ken Walker
of The Baytown Sun
By Amit Baruch
of The Baytown Sun
that alternative.
Although state funding for-
mulas do not list the Goose
Creek district as property poor,
Lionel “Skip” Meno, commis-
sioner of education, has-already
given initial approval to
cial waiver that would allow
Barbers Hill to send $2 million
of its excess wealth to the Goose
Creek district.
According to Dr. Harry Grif-
fith, superintendent of Goose
Creek schools, Meno is granting
the waiver on the strength of the
revised version of the Goose
Creek Strategic ‘Plan. Griffith
explained that the commissioner
of education has been searching
for “model plans,” which he can
incorporate into a statewide
academic improvement plan.
Griffith added that the Goo
Creek plan is a model, but not
the only model Meno is
studying.
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out the
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......*v- i
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se
I if1
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by Commis- to be working toward ” Dennis
Meno has stipulated, in his in-
>■
g?
'* 4
I-
of the Goose
itjal a
Creek/Barbers Hill agreement,
that the Goose Creek district
only spend this revenue to ad-
vance the Strategic Plan. The
money will not be available for
the district to use on any
budgeted item other than com-
ponents stated in the plan. Roof
repairs or teacher salaries cannot
be budgeted for out of funds
V \
::
iV
■■-‘n
.
i
coming to Goose Creek from
Barbers Hill.
However, about $1 million
will be used for the technology
component of the Strategic Plan.
The remaining funds will be
Photo by Curia Pryor-Nawman
David Pecina, 4, left, and his friend Mark Andrew Morris, 6, have a good time at N.C.
Foote Park and spend a few minutes chatting. The park was recently rededicated to
welcome new playground equipment and to officially name the park's new trail after active
community member William “Bill" Reineke.
.
used for development on other
areas of the Strategic Plan. The
Goose Creek district will be re-
quired to provide Meno with
fine-item accounting of exactly
what components of the
Strategic Plan the money is
targeting, Griffith said.
Holmes addresses Rotary group
:S:5S
Man killed
in house fire
District attorney says office will help in Lindsay investigation if asked
A fire in a small frame
house just north of Bay-
town claimed the life of a
75-year-old man early
Thursday morning, accord-
ing to Baytown Fire and
Rescue.
Reuben Edwards was
believed to be sleeping
when fire broke out in his
home at 3907 Fox Drive.
Neighbors noticed the fire
and called the Baytown
Fire and Rescue at 3:05
ajn.
When firefighters from
Fire Station 6 arrived at the
scene, nearby residents
told them Edwards was
still inside the house,
which was engulfed in
flames.
Firefighter Jackie Ickes
was burned
fought the
treated and released at the
scene.
As a result of the agreement,
Barbers Hill staff and students
will be able to share in some of
Goose Creek’s resources as they
pertain to the plan. For example, Harris County District Attorney Johnny
when the Goose Creek distnct Holmes told the Baytown Rotary Club
spends some of the money on Wednesday that his office is willing to help
curriculum development ex- county Attorney Mike Driscoll investigate
perts, faculty from Barbers Hril allegations that Harris Cbunty Judge Jon
will be invited to attend the Lindsay accepted bribes in the 1980s, but
?eminar' that Driscoll must ask for the assistance.
Both Goose Creek and Bar- Harris County Commissioners Court
bers Hill school boards will Tuesday rejected Driscoll’s request for
meet separately at 6:30 p.m. $10,000 to pay for investigators, aocumen-
Thursday to discuss the con- tation and other components of his investi-
tracts. The Barbers Hill board gation. Tuesday’s rejection marks the
meets in the School Administra- second week that Driscoll has petitioned die
tion Building on Eagle Drive in coutt and come away empty.
Mont Belvieu. Goose Creek “In defense of Mike (Driscoll), which is
trustees meet in the Administra- an unusual posture for me, I can say that he
tion Building at 1415 Market is way out of his element on this one,”
Dr. Hoboes said. “There’s a lot of smoke out
Meno is expected to approve there, and they are desperately hunting for
* contracts Friday. Barbers the fire, but he needs a little more where-
Hfll voters will have the final with-all.
word in the Saturday
referendum.
By Amit Z. Baruch
of The Beytown Son
gation is what we do. But he’s going to have say to prison...,” Holmes said,
to ask for that assistance, and he hasn’t done Holmes also explained die accomplice/
it yet,” Holmes added. witness rule, which might have also deterred
Holmes said that his office is staffed with a criminal investigation from his office in a
80 investigators and other resources which case like Lindsay’s. The rule states that a
Driscoll might find helpfiri. COurt cannot convict someone for a crime
Holmes explained that his office is not based solely on the testimony of an
involved ^ in Htt Lindsa,; mveMigalion accoraplicc £ m crime. casc,
because the statute of limitations on any . l *
criminal matter has expired. a former. business associate who was also
“Even if the allegations are true, there’s connected t0 «•» aUeged wrongdoing made
nothing I can do about it, and no one I can die accusations against Lindsay,
prosecute. So why should I get in the ring?” Lindsay has been accused of accepting as
Holmes explained. much as $100,000 for rerouting a county
He further explained that Driscoll’s office road project to benefit a land developer,
can pursue the bribery investigation even Additional allegations have surfaced in the
though the statute of limitations has expired past few weeks that Lindsay had influenced
for any criminal prosecution. The county several construction projects around the
attorney’s office, m its capacity to pursue County Courthouse,
the removal of county officials because of ,: hQC a0„-,oA 1U
wrongdoing, can use criminal allegations to denied all the allegations
build its1 case—- even after the statute of H™1 lum- »e "****? ““““"“d that he
limitations has expired. will not seek re-election to the judge s
“Driscoll can use the criminal investiga- position he has held for more than 18 years,
tion to get (Lindsay) thrown out of office in so that he could focus his time remaining on
civil proceeding's, but could not send Lind- the court on county projects.
ill
steam as he
but was ‘
the
“The district attorney’s office would be
happy to help him because criminal investi-
I
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Dobbs, Gary. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 245, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 12, 1993, newspaper, August 12, 1993; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1158119/m1/1/: accessed July 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.