Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 90, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 27, 1981 Page: 1 of 28
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MICROFILM CENTER OF TEX., INC.
^F.O. KX 45436 ■
1ALLAS, TX 75245
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For Mali Delivery
295-0486
*owiJi
ew Group Policy
Saves BISD Mo
BS
that both teachers and the
district will benefit from new
urance coverage currently being
sidered for employees of the Burle-
Indenpendent School District.
' Bids from several companies were
reveiwed Tuesday morning by the
f fchool board and the overwhelming
Choice was a plan offered through the
Texas Association of School Boards
- (TASB). A final decision is expected
tomorrow morning (Friday) at 7:00
when trustees meet in a speical morn-
ing session for the second time this
WCCR.
4 Representatives of the Burleson
I Classroom Teachers Association re-
quested the three day delay to give
teachers time to go over the bids and
[ offer input on the choice of policy.
A BIG ADVANTAGE of the TASB
? plan is that it wqutd save the school
district approximately $52,006 of bud-
\ geted hospitalization premiums the
first year.
;! Personal coverage does not suffer
from the reduced rates either, Assis-
tant Superintendent Harold Moore told
trustees Tuesday. In fact, in many
areas he feels the policy is superior to
what BISD employees now have.
According to Moore, one advantage
would be that all'employees would now
have the same coverage. Under the
present policy, obe plan is provided for
auxiliary employees while another is
provided for professional employees.
By making up the difference in the
premium*,, atwiliary employees are
now able tp have the same coverage as
professional employees.
ium paid by the school district.
ANOTHER GROUP WHO would ben-
efit under the proposed plan are those
teachers who are already covered by
their spouse’s insurance. Presently
these employees receive little or no
benefit from the school district insur-
ance.
Under the TASB pan, However, these
employees would be covered under an
optional plan at the same premium
rate. This plan would provide $25,000 in
life insurance; another $25,000 in acci-
dental death and dismemberment ben-
efits plus pay the insured $65 per day
while in the hospital. Additonal benefits
of this plan would be deductible dental
insurance. After a $400 deductible, it
would pay 50 percent of dental costs.
The plan would also pay 50 percent of
orthodonic costs after a $400 deductible.
Another plus for teachers would be
the requirement that the school district
provide $3,000 in life insurance and
$3,000 in accidental death and dismem-
berment benefits for 99 cents per
month.
Based on last year’s 425 full-time
employees, this benefit would cost the
district $5,049, according to Moore.
THE DISTRICT WOULD also keep
the present $2,000 policy on teachers
from the Great American Reserve
Company for a total of $5,000 in life
insurance benefits for employees.
The TASB policy would pick up all TASB plan,
current members of the present plan, billing can'
honor all calendar year experiences forwarded
and deductibles and waive pre-existing
conditions, Moore said. After the policy
goes into effect on Oct. 1, pre-existing
one wot
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for 18 months.
Cost per employee to
district for the TASB insu
be $29.90. The bid of the cur
Blue Cross/Blue
month. Ontton
ing his family would be $74.8$
month. The cost, under the BC/BS
would have been $82.61 per month.
REASON FOR THE '
ums, according to Moore, is that
5 insurances
s current!
Hi
TASB plan is a form of self-insurance
amoung many of the school districts in
the state. There are no stockholders $og i]
pay, he said, so well over 90 percent $f$ Si
the premiums collected go for claims or
into interest bearing accounts.
Sixty-three districts renewed
TASB policies this year, ftfoore s
and about that many new districts
expected to Join this year. Of those
districts renewing, 45 receive no
crease in premiums this year.
The prospect of a large increaa
the current carrier prompted the
board here to go out for bids
keep the cost as low as |
While the TASB is relai
the hospitalization
won’t be the BISD’s firs
them on insurance,
has been carrying
sation insurance
since 1974.
ANOTHER
A
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Center
Subjects
Of TV
Program
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School Budget Approved
m
Spotlight On Burleson
By USA MADDOX
The Steppings tone, a Burleson Chris-
tian youth center and refuge located at
301 S. Dobson, will soon be spotlighted
nationally.
A special feature on the Stepping-
stone’s Operation Biassing will be seen
on Pat Robertson’s 700 Club, a Chris-
tian variety program seen in the Fort
Worth-Dallas area on Channel 39. The
special program is scheduled to be
aired on Sept. 3 at both 9 a.m. and 9
p.m.
“They sent a news team out to do the
filming and interviewing Aug. 7-8,”
said Gloria Gillespie, one of the
founders of Steppings tone. “They film-
ed several areas of Burleson in addition
to activities here at the Steppingstone,”
she continued.
ONE OF THE MOST difficult parts of
filming any talk show is condensing the
questions and answers to use a
minimum of time efficiently.
"They came out and interviewed me
using questions I had answered in two
previous telephone interviews,” ex-
plained Gloria. “The hardest thing for
me to do was to condense my answers,”
she continued. “I would give them a
reply, and then they would stop filming
and say, ‘O.K., now we want you to con-
dense that a little bit more,” she added.
“It seemed like in the end by answers
were so watered down that I wasn’t
really saying anything at all.”
The Steppingstone Youth Center has
been operating in Burleson for almost
six years. The main purpose of the
center, according to Gloria, was to give
young people an alternative place to
go—a Christ-centered place where they
roblems
about 30 to 40 teenagers in our home two
or three times a week, and I realized
that Burleson needed a youth center;
that our home Just wasn’t going to be
big enough anymore.”
The Steppingstone Youth Center first
operated out of a small frame house,
now used as the center of Operation
Blowing, a project devoted to people
helping people. Families in need, elder-
ly people who need a helping hand and
even young runaways have found help
at Operation Blessing when they need-
ed it. Donations of money, usable
clothes, non-perishable foods, working
appliances and anything that might be
used to help a needy family are taken at
the house.
Almost two years ago the new
building that now houses the youth
center was constructed. There is an
unusual story that is told about the
building—one miracle out of many that
have surrounded the center since its ex-
istence.
“WE WERE GETTING ready for our
open house and dedication,” recalled
Gloria. “We had scheduled the event
for that evening and had advertised it in
the newspaper. We had a very big pro-
blem, though. As we were putting the
finishing touches on the paint, the elec-
trician called and told us that he
wouldn’t be able to make it to the center
to install the wiring until that evening
or powibly the next day,” she con-
tinued.
“I called the electric company and
asked them to come and put our
transformer in and they told me that
the transformer had to be put in accor-
ding to regulations. First, we would
tayre to have all of our wiring in and
vice. Many dignitaries were invited to
the opening, and several important
speakers were on the agenda.
“WE FINALLY DECIDED to leave it
to the Lord to solve. We joined hands
and prayed to him, asking him for some
kind erf miracle to get our electricity in,
even if he had to send one of his
angels,” she recalled.
“We went back to work, and pretty
soon a tall, dark-haired man in a blue
suit came up on the porch,” she added.
“He asked, ‘Is this the Stone?’, and we
told him it was. He then told us he was
there to bring us our electricity. He said
he found out about the dedication by
reading the newspaper, although we
had never mentioned the fact that we
had no electricity in the paper.
“Soon after that he was on the phone,
ordering our transformer, and the
truck from the electric company came
out and put the transformer up. Before
he left he said, ‘Now you tell Bobby that
this isn’t how we usually do things, but
We. are going to make an exception
here,”’ she recalled.
Later in the day the electrician came
by and was awed by the fact that the
transformer was up and that there
wasn’t a wire in the building yet He
was mystified at how they managed to
get the transformer installed. No one at
the electric company seemed to recall a
man who fit the description of the man
at the Steppingstone that afternoon,
and Bob Reagan, the city inspector
whom the man called ‘Bobby’ did not
know anyooe personally who matched
At a special morning meeting on
Tuesday, Burleson School Trustees ap-
proved the new budget and tax rate,
handled a number of personnel matters
and took a look at a new carrier for
hospitalization insurance for school
district employees (see separate
story).
Approval of the budget and tax rate
was anti-climatic and more a formality
required by state law than anything
else. Trustees had already put their
seal of approval on both and the ap-
propriate public hearings had been con-
ducted earlier this month.
The $10,228,946 budget will be balanc-
ed by a tax rate of $.7824 per $100 valua-
tion. Local taxes will bring in about two
and a quarter million dollars next year.
Of the total $.7824 tax rate, $.516 is pegg-
ed for local maintenance costs and the
other $.2664 is for debt service.
THE TAX 18 EXPECTED to bring in
$1,483,511 for local maintenance and
$812,260 for debt service.
Effect of the new tax rate on BISD
taxpayers will be variable, depending
on how much—if any—their property
was revalued during the past year. The
tax rate is substantially lower than last
-year’s rate of $1.23 per $100 valuation
but most residential property was also
revalued significantly this year.
Both the budget and the tax rate were
passed by a 6-0 vote. Dr. Bernard
Erickson was not present at the
meeting.
In another matter pertaining to the
budgets, trustees approved the amend-
ed budget for the 190961 fiscal year.
All teacher positions were filled at the
meeting with the official employment
of nine new teachers. They are Tammy
Bryant, Vicki Burgess Stellar, Sharon
Cloud, Helen Gomez, Shyrle Harris,
Helen Hays, Barbara Lane and Marian
Wallace, all elementary; and Lucie
Loykasek, homemaking at Burleson
High School.
THE BOARD ALSO ACCEPTED re-
signations for four teachers: Kathryn
Bell, recently employed as a homemak-
ing teacher; Kathy Byrd, speech
therapist at Nola Dunn; Susan Manley,
third grade at Nola Dunn; and Mary
Sue Rettstatt, music at Mound.
Contract changes were approved ft*
Ronnie Johnson and Wanda Walker.
Both these former high school teachers
will now serve as associate principal at
the high school.
City Budget To Be
Unveiled Thursday
Presentation of a proposed $3.5 mil-
lion budget will highlight an 11-item
city council meeting tonight (Thurs-
day) at 8:00.
Date for a public hearing on the
budget will also be set at the meeting.
The proposed tax rate for the 1981-82
fiscal year is $.455 per $100 valuation,
about 11 percent higher than the effec-
tive tax rate for last year although the
rate is down markedly from last year’s
$1.43 per $100 valuation.
A revaluation of most residential
property in the city increased the tax
roil from $115 million to $200 million and
prompted the reduction in the tax
rate. What effect the reduced tax rate
and increased valuations will have on
taxpayers has to be figured on an
individual basis. Depending on the a-
mount of revaluation, most will probab-
ly have a higher tax bill; some will be
close to the same; and some could have
a reduction in taxes.
Also on the council agenda are the
following items:
—Final plat of lots 1-11; Block 1; lot
1-8 and lot 16, Block 2; lots 1 and 12,
Block 3 of the Central Business Plaza.
This development, where earth work
has already started, is located just
northeast of the Burleson Plaza Shop-
ping Center and will consist of several
buildings with office and retail space.
One aspect of the development that
will benefit many area residents will be
the construction through the develop-
ment of a road linking Highway 174 and
Thomas Street.
—Easement authorization and ap-
proval for the Midtown Sanitary Sewer
Collector project
—Final reading of an ordinance deal-
ing with the theft of city services. $
—Consideration Of city financial par-
ticipation in the center 20 foot of pevteg
of a portion of S.W. Alsbury Boulevard
and N.W. Summercrest Boulevard 4n
the Cedar Ridge Addtion.
—Payment of the 1969 employee
handbook accumulated sick leave.
—A closed, executive session dealing
with litigation. ™
■OS
t£i-
Re-Districting Meeting Scheduled
iHjgg.STrfy(i ’ffig.p, r
the church and I felt that Burleson and then the inspector was to call the
needed a place where teens could get
together and find fulfillment in the
Lord,” she said. “The rate of van-
dalism and drug abuse was very high in
Burleson and one day I sent my two
daughters out in the neighborhood to
ask the kids if they would come to our
home for chips and dips and Bible
study,” she explained.
“BEFORE WE KNEW IT we had
inspector
electric company to order the
transformer installed,” she continued.
“Following the call from the inspector
the electric company would be out in
two or three days to install the
transformer,” she said.
Unfortunately, the people at the
youth center did not have two or three
days to wait, and they needed lights
that evening for their dedication ser-
Steppingstone«
ask any more questions about ft, and
thanks to the good deed of whoever he
was, they were able to have their
dedication ceremonies in the light.
Even today the story is still a mystery.
Other miracles have made the pro-
grams at Steppingstone operational, in-
cluding the donations that crane in like
clockwork every month from different
people to support the programs. “I
don’t worry about it anymore,” said
Gloria. “I know that this is the Lord’s
project and that he will provide for it.
Johnson County Commissioners A.J.
Lambert of Joshua, Loyd Reese of
Alvarado, B.B. Aldridge of Grandview
and Bill Atwood flf Cleburne have
scheduled a public hearing in Burleson
on the two proposed plans recommend-
ed for re-drawing sf commissioner’s
precinct lines in the county.
The hearing is scheduled for 8 pm.
Sept. 22 ht Burleson’s city hall.
The plans have been recommended
by the 16-member Tri-Racial Re-Dis-
tricting Committee appointed by the
four commissioners and County Judge
Tommy Alturaa. , v -,
It will be the public’s first opportunity
to view maps and question the reason-
ing behind the necessity for changing
political and geographical lines within
the county in compliance with the new
population figures based on the 1980
U.S. Census. The new district lines will
become effective in 1983.
David Quinn and Michael D. Morri-
son, a team of Baylor University consti-
tutional law professors, were hired by
the county earlier this year to study
population growth and update the one
manr.ram.vote.edict of tis&UJS* Supreme
Court —
Quinn, Judge Altaras and commis-
sioners will be on hand at the public
hearing to answer any questions spec-
tators might have.
Burleson mayor Robert E. Abies has
represented the city on the re-district-
ing committee and has worked closely
with county officials In drawing up the
two preliminary plans that were chosen
from a group of eight possible propo-
sals.
The committee made its final selec-
tion and recommended two at a meet-
ing in mid-August clearing the way 4$
hold the public hearing Sept 22.
Which of the two. Plan 1 or Plan 5A,
will finally be adopted and put Into
effect is entirely up to the discretion of
the county’s four commissioner’s,
will have the final aay-oo-after
public hearings are held.
A hearing Is also planned
on the same evening as the ana
Burleson; however, it will be at 8p.
couple of hours earlier.
When the final plan Is adopted,
missioners then wifi
the peace and constable
re-locate heavy election bam.
At the outset they know “we’re
going to please emyoa*"
■ n . —Doris E.
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Moody, James. Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 90, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 27, 1981, newspaper, August 27, 1981; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth761476/m1/1/: accessed June 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Burleson Public Library.