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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Early P-B-T enrollment shows 3 percent drop
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Wed., Aug. 20, 2003 -- Once again early enrollment figures for Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
ISD have shown a decline from the previous year, but school officials are
hoping the number will go up a little.
Enrollment was down about three percent from the start of school last
year, and enrollment overall has dropped by nearly 25 percent in the past
decade, with the closing or severe cutbacks at several of the area's largest
employers.
"After Labor Day, that number sometimes changes," said PBT-ISD Superintendent
Don Love. "We're hoping to get a few more kids in here."
Enrollment figures for the second day of school in the district showed
that Pecos High School had 620 students; DAEP-Lamar Discipline, has 16;
Crockett Middle School showed 373 students; Bessie Haynes (which now includes
sixth grade) had 537 students enrolled; Austin Elementary School (grades
1-3) has 513 and Pecos Kindergarten has 211 students enrolled at that campus.
The total number of students in the district is at 2,270, down 69 students
for second day of school last year.
"If we got 2,400 or better we'd be in pretty good shape," said Love.
"When we really get good numbers is after Labor Day, that's when we find
out for sure," said Love, during the last monthly board meeting.
"We had budgeted on 100 less kids," said Love.
Last year there was a drop of about 8 percent in enrollment for P-B-T
ISD from last year. Part of the state's funding plan for Texas school districts
is based on the number of students enrolled.
Enrollment a decade ago was around 3,000 students for the district, but
the closing of the Freeport McMoRan sulphur mine, the Smithers Tire Testing
Center and the Anchor Foods plant in Pecos during that time resulted in
the loss of about 1,000 jobs within the community.
At the start of the 2002-03 school year, Pecos High School reported 695
students on the first day of school.
DAEP "Lamar AEP" reported that they had 22 students last year.
Crockett Middle School had 367 register last year; Zavala Middle School
reported 180, but contained only 6th grade; while this year 6th grade is
included at the Bessie Haynes Campus; Bessie Haynes had 358 fourth and fifth
graders on the first day of school last year; Austin Elementary had 522
last year and 629 the year before and Pecos Kindergarten had a total of
194 last year and 280 the year before that.
The total number of students on the first day of school was set at 2,291
last year, a number pretty close to this year's and less than the year before
that.
"We're hoping some more will trickle in every day," said Love. "And we're
definitely hoping some more will show up after the Labor Day holiday," which
is something that happens sometimes," he added.
Enrollment figures at Pecos High School in October will be used by the
University Interscholastic League to calculate district realignments, which
will be released at the end of January, 2004. The loss of students in recent
years dropped Pecos to the Class 3A level in 2002, after the district had
been at the Class 4A level for the previous 22 years.
Farm housing board to hear USDA report
PECOS, Wed., Aug. 20, 2003 -- The Pecos Housing Authority/Farm Labor Housing
Board of Commissioners will meet Thursday at 5 p.m., at the Administration
Office to hear from Community Development Specialist John Perkins on the
USDA Rural Development.
In other business under the FLH the board will be presented with three
letters, one from Perkins discussing the approval of the 2003 proposed budget,
a second also from Perkins in regards to the Supervisory visit/compliance
review held on August 5 and the third to Perkins from Chairman Frank Perea
regarding the 2003 Migrant Season update and requesting assistance in drawing
up an agreement for the future operation of the Farm Labor Housing Project.
Unfinished business will consist of the resolution and approval of the
2003 budget, an update on the occupancy/vacancies, management, applications
maintenance and repairs and the receipt of a check for $4,895 form 143 Judicial
District Community and Corrections Department for restitution paid by probationer
Vanessa Hernandez.
Under new business the board will discuss and approve the action on items
listed on Communications and the monthly reports for the month of May, June
and July.
The agenda for the PHA will consist of the notification of 2003 capital
funds, the public housing authority ETHICS reference Manual prepared by
Office of General Council and Office of Public Housing and Indian Housing,
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
PHA unfinished business to be discussed and approved will be the 2002
capital funds project and the CFP amendment/budget/projects.
For new business the board will discuss and approve the PHA updated personnel
policies, the updated signature cards for bank accounts and the monthly
reports for the month of August.
Softball tournament planned by Balmorhea FD
PECOS, Wed., Aug. 20, 2003 -- The First Annual Balmorhea Fire Department
Softball Tournament will be held the weekend of Saturday, Aug. 30 and Sunday,
Aug. 31, during the city's annual Labor Day weekend festival.
Games will start at 8 a.m., with a 55-minute limit per game.
Fees will be $120 per 13 man teams and USSAA guidelines will be implemented.
First and second places prizes will be awarded.
For more information contact the City of Balmorhea at 432-375-2307; Luis
at 448-0056 or Antonio at 448-2802.
Weather
PECOS, Wed., Aug. 20, 2003 -- High Tuesday 107. Low this morning 73. Forecast
for tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated evening thunderstorms. Lows in
the upper 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph. Thursday: Partly cloudy with
isolated afternoon thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 90s. Southeast winds
5 to 15 mph. Thursday night: Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms.
Lows in the upper 60s. Friday: Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms.
Highs in the mid 90s. Saturday: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers
and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s. Highs 90 to 95.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2003 by Pecos Enterprise
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