The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 19, 1999 Page: 1 of 20
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In memory...
The AHS Class of 1974
purchased a headstone
for a classmate who died
in the 1978 flood.
See story, pg. 2
Back in Texas
Tim Miler plans to return
to Washington next year
after a successful session
as a congressional page.
See story; pg. 3
Time to play!
The Lions continue to
prepare for their first
scrimmage, set for this
Friday night in Seymour.
See stories; pg. 8
The
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"Oldest Journalistic Venture West of the Brazos"
Thursday, August 19, 1999, Albany, Texas 76430 12 Pages in 1 Section Volume Number 124 - Number 12 Price 75<£
board outlines $4.3
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Albany school board has
been studying a $4.3 million
budget during the last week to
determine what tax rate will be
necessary to fund the new 1999-
2000 school year.
The board met in special ses-
sion last Friday, August 13, for
the initial review of the proposed
budget, along with taking care
of several other agenda items,
including hiring a teacher.
The discussion continued
Monday evening during the
board's regular monthly session,
with the board also accepting a
bid for employee health insur-
ance, considering policy changes
and meeting with an attorney to
hear an update on resolving-
problems with recent construc-
tion projects.
Budget Outlined
The proposed budget for 1999-
2000 tallies $4,361,183, some
$200,000 less than last year's
AISD tax rate estimates presented
total of $4,556,662. However,
last year's document included
about $500,000 in construction
expenses for the final phase of
the elementary school building
project.
The operating portion of the
proposed budget, excluding fed-
eral title programs and debt ser-
vice, amounts to $3,769,051,
compared to $3,464,168 last year
after taking but building costs,
The net operating budget is
up by $315,000 over last year,
due primarily to mandated
teacher pay raises that bumped
the total for salaries by $ 160,000,
along with another $20,000 in
local raises .for administrators
and support personnel.
Teacher pay raises will be re-
imbursed to the district through
an increase in the state funding.
Other significant increases'in
the budget include $75,000 for
legal fees, $10,000 to resurface
the .tennis courts, $10,000. for
the purchase of a bus and $8,000
in utility increases.
The district helped offset the
increase by eliminating a bus
maintenance position amount-
ing to about $29,000 and stop-
ping losses in food service esti-
mated at $56,000.
The school district lost about
10 percent of its, tax base this
year due to decreases in mineral
values and was one, of just a
handful of districts statewide to
not benefit from recent property
tax relief passed during this
year's legislative session.
"We are one of 28 districts
who will not benefit from the use
of state surplus to lower prop-
erty taxes," said Dr. Jeri Pfeifer.
"The primary reason is because
these districts have been able to
keep their maintenance and op-
erations tax rates lower than
most."
Fortunately, Albany ISD was
one of the districts- to lose the
least in state aid and the tax
rates required to fund the hew
budget are very close to last
year's rate.
The 1998tax rate was$l.3576
per $100 in property value and
the effective rate •— the rate
needed to generate the same to-
tal amount of local taxes .as the
previous year — was calculated
at $1.3345 per $100.
However, if the board adopts
the effective rate, a budget defi-
cit of $23,517 is anticipated.
The board could also adopt
(See School board, pg. 6)
Estimates of Tax Burden at
Various T*v Rates
Albany ISD
Fax Rate
1 <><)') 1()99 ,
Effective Maximi/«iJ
$1/3345 $1.3566
ii'i'i
Rollback
$1.3866
At 1498
Tax Rate
$1.3576
home with no exemptions'
$403.59
$410.28
$419.35
$410.58
Tax levy on a typical $ 50,24 i
home with homestead exemption*.
$203,42
$206.70
$211:36
$206.94
Tax levy on a typic al $60,000
home with no exemptions
$800.70
$813.96
$831.%
$814.56
Tax levy on a typical $60,000
home with 0-65 Hmst (no ceiling)**
$427.04
$434.11
$443.71 '
$434.43'
Ta,x levy on 640 acres pastureland
(based on change in ag-value)
$281 85
$286.51-
$292.85
$260.66
All. tax estimates are school tax only.
* Ihe average value on a residential home imAlbany ISD in. 19^98 wa-> $30,243. The average value on $
residential home,irt Albany ISD for 1-999 is $32,210. Based on vajue inc rease alofye, the average'
homestead'would see an increase o! $-'b.70 at the/1998,tax rate.
" Over 65 homestead |m>perbes have an established school. |a*ceiling amount which raruiot be
exceeded due to i) change in the tax fate. Il' the calcufajed tax is loVver than Ihe ceiling amount due to
, the lowering of the rate, the taxpayer will pay the lesser amount.
Stetson Hobbs and Scotty
McGee (top photo, l-r) play
with some of the toys in
thepreschool room on the
first morning of classes,
while some of the older
students (lower photo)
check the list for Leigh
Lowe's third grade. First
day enrollment figures for
the local schools were up
slightly, with several stu-
dents continuing to regis-
ter throughout the week. A
total of 573 students were
enrolled on the first day.
8*-.
I
■ TAAS RESULTS
NSES earns exem
Nancy Smith Elementary was
officially notified this week that
it has earned exemplary status
for the fifth consecutive year
from the Texas Euueation
Agency, and the junior-senior
high campus, along with t he dis-
trict as a whole, received "recog-
nized" rating.
The Albany ISD and second-
ary campus missed out on the
top rating from the state agency
by the narrowest margin pos-
sible, even though student per-
formance on the annual TAAS
test was much improved over
last year when the district arid
both campuses were rated ex-
emplary.
"They changed the grading
scale and included spec ial edu-
cation students in the scoring
this year for the first time," ex-
plained Dr. Jeri Pfeifer, Albany
ISD superintendent. "It was pre-
dicted that both campuses would
drop from exemplary to recog-
nized this year, but the grade
sch(k)l pulled off their fifth ex-
emplary ratings very comfort-
ably.".
Pfeifer stated that it is more
important to her to know that
test scores were up significantly
in almost all areas even includ-
ing special education students
this year.
"Special ed students were
given TAAS testing two years
ago, but the results were not
used in the rating calculations
until last year. We have a good
ry status
basis of comparison and our dis-
, trict is certainly on the right
track:" '
The secondary campus and
district as a whole was just a
fraction of one pojnt below the
90 percent passing rate in just
one subgroup on the writing por-
tion of TAAS.
Both campuses and the dis-
trict wt;re well above''the 94 per-
cent attendance rate required to
receive, exemplary and the high
school was below the one per-
cent dropout rate.
To achieve an exemplary rat-
ing, a school or district has to
have at least 90 percent of its
total students, including each
(See Exemplary, pg. 2) .
Health survey to be analyzed
By Melinda L. Lucas
The Shackelford County Hos-
pital District board of directors
looked over the official results of
a detailed health survey con-
ducted earlier this summer, but
opted to seek professional assis-
tance before making any deci-
sions based on the survey.
Bob Moore and Sam Tesson
with the Texas Center for Ruraj
Health Initiatives will be con-
tacted this week and asked to
analyze the survey results and
meet with the board as soon as
possible.
Moore and Tesson met with
board members and local civ it-
leaders several months ago and
suggested that the survey be
conducted to determine exactly
what county residents need'and
expect in the area of medical
care, as well as what services
they would actually use.
Hospital business manager
Diedre Stewart was directed to>
send the results to the two men
and set up a meeting to discuss
their recommendations.
"They are qualified to tell us
what they think is feasible in
our community," said Stewart.
""I think that would be more help
to us than sitting here spinning
our wheels."
She added that Moore and
Tesson should be able to direct
the board toward some possible
grant'money.
"I don't think we know enough
at this-point to make any deci-
sions," commented board mem-
ber Nina Jones. "We don't want
to jump the gun and get some-
one in here as a temporary fix to
a permanent problem. We need
to make sure we have the fig-
ures to back up what we want to
do."
The directors also discussed
the hours that the First Med
clinic is open, noting that there
have been some weeks that per-'
sonnel are on hand only three
and four days. When the district
contracted with Hendrick to
keep the clinic open, paying a
monthly stipend, Hendrick
agreed to expand the clinic's
hours to five days a week.
Board member John Ayers
stated that he already had a call
in to Joe Pearson at Hendrick
(See Hospital, pg. 2)
Power Team to continue crusade through Sunday
Attendance at this week's
appearances of the Power Team
are expected to be large after the
group led in the first of five
nightly exhibitions on Wednes-
day, August 18.
The motivational crusade will
be held for four more nights,
August 19-22, starting at 7:00
p.m. in Albany High School's
new gymnasium. Everyone of
any age is invited to attend.
The sponsoring churches will
provide a concession stand prior
to the performances each
evening, opening from 6:00 to
6:45 p.m. Snacks, drinks and
barbecue sandwiches will be
served.
School Assemblies
Local and area students are
also being given the opportunity
to see the strongmen as they
travel to several surrounding
cbmm, cities for assemblies dur-
ing the day.
The emphasis at the school
assemblies is making good
choices and taking a stand
against teen sex, drugs and al-
cohol. The students will be in-
vited to attend the nightly meet-
ings, where the demonstrations
of strength will be accompanied
by testimonies about the
strength the members of the
Power Team find in God and
their personal relationship with
Jesus Christ.
On Sunday, August 22, a
member of the Power Team will
speak at each of the five spon-
soring churches during the
morning services.
Area Interest
According to First Baptist
Church secretary Mona
Gardenhire, a lot of interest has
been generated in the Power
Team, especially after some in-
tense publicity on KGNZ Chris-
tian radio station and other pub-
lic service announcements on
four secular radio stations in
Abilene.
"We've had calls from all over
the Big Country area this week,"
said Gardenhire, "lots of calls.
We're, expecting some large
groups and some big crowds."
The five-day Power Team cru-
sade is being sponsored in Al-
bany by several local congrega-
tions as part of the "Texas 2000"
emphasis.
Although the "Texas 2000"
program itself was established
by Southern Baptist Churches
as a plan to reach all Texans
with the "Good News" by the
year 2000, three other Albany
churches joined Friendship Bap-
tist and First Baptist Church to
bring the Power Team to Al-
bany.
The Maranatha Fellowship,
First Assembly of God and First
United Methodist Church are
all involved in this week's cru-
sade.
There is no charge for the
crusade services each night.
(See Power Team, pg. 2)
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Lucas, Donnie A. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 19, 1999, newspaper, August 19, 1999; Albany, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth413238/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The Old Jail Art Center.