El Paso Herald-Post from El Paso, Texas • 45

Section Page One- -EL FASO HERALD-POST Thursday May 24 1973 Deadline Is Nearing for Sierra Blanca's Decisions on heir School Problems AMERICAN CONTRACT Bridge Laogw Unit 159 Will Hold a ditation In the event the Texas Health Department chooses to close down the school Sierra Blanca children will have to be bused 34 miles to Van Horn School which has more modern faciliites and which is one of four school districts in Hudspeth County The other districts are Dell City and Alla-more Whatever the Sierra Blanca School board decides the final deadline is July 31 With only one of seven paints for a better Sierra Blanca school having been met Scarbrough faces a giant task of convincing the school board to rake action on the other six points before his time runs out But for the school's 200 children next fall will mean at tending a school with decaying physical and teaching facilities coupled with the loss of a large portion of state funds A high school education will mean little without accre program hut there is no word from the school board Scarbrough said the health standards question should be solved with a new school facility but again no word from the board COMMUNITY involvement has been nil until recent board meetings which have seen representatives from the land companies and parents from the support facilities that have moved into the Sierra Blanca area a situation that does not set well with the established area residents climate of cooperation is lacking going back to the school boycott in April and May of 1968 having a serious effect on the said the 1EA report The boycott involved half the school children and was held over demands to fire two teachers accused of severaly punishing Mexican-American children and for a Mexican-American to fill a school board vacancy of "Racap Bridgo (Duplicate Hands) Friday -May 25 7:30 pm of llw Dol Comino For ForfiMNUp AimiigamanN call 4041 Floating a bond issue for construction of new school facilities has yet to be discussed in earnest by the board The district is still paying 10 cents of every $150 in-taxes collected to pay off a $60000 bond issue floated in 1950 and which will not be paid until 1979 Scarbrough estimates a suitable building could be built for $320000 but he said the board has not listened to his plea despite his warnings that building costs will rise if the board waits Scarbrough did manage to make inroads into one area On May 8 the board agreed to a new school policy updating the one in existence since 1953 is hard to offer employment to qualified teachers when the school board overrides your hiring authority and hires and fires based on said Scarbrough The school district has gone through 15 superintendents in 25 years In 1969 only six of 12 teachers were re-hired In 1970 only five of 11 teachers were rehired SCARBROUGH SAID he has sought out Mexican-American teachers for the school but that one look at the town and school politics and the prospects never returned The school is in dire need of a bilingual education program according to the TEA Scarbrough has winked out such a Last March the school was visited by a team of inspectors from the TEA and from the Department of Health Education and Welfare (HEW) resulting in a lengthy warning letter The TEA in 1969 has also visited the school and signaled out the same violations threatening loss of accreditation The school agreed to comply but the TEA never got around to checking until this year THE TEA wants us to show proof that we are taking definite steps to straighten out the said Wesley Scar-brough superintendent at least until Aug 30 since he has resigned frustrated by three years of fruitless to upgrade the 12-grade school Scarbrough asked the board to seek a more adequate equalization and sufficient taxes to insure both adequate facilities and a high quality education program THE SCHOOL district taxes run at $1 JO per $100 valuation assessed at 40 per cent a year This means a school tax on $5000 in property would be at a year Sierra Blanca taxpayers come up with a whopping 99 per cent in school tax collections but excluding the large land companies and utilities 84 per cent contributions the average resident brings an aggregate yield of $17000 a year in taxes oWoln JftC that helps keep you going Homogenized Milk is rich in vitamins especially Vitamin the body builder And also a great thirst quencher So for a pick-up any time of the day pick up and share a refresher from By BOB YBARRA SIERRA BLANCA Tex School for this rural community's 200 children lets out in a few days However the community has about 45 days to decide if it win continue to have an accredited school next fall Illustrative of the dilemma Texas faces with rural school districts in view erf expanded and costlier schools needed today Sierra Blanca stands to lose nearly half its $190000 budget since loss of accreditation means the state pulls out a large chunk of its participation TO SATISFY the Texas Education Agency (TEA) the school district of 600 persons and 1133 square miles must: Reform its tax structure which presently has six utilities and transportation companies two land developers and one ranch contributing 84 per cent of the district's tax effort of $102000 a year its school policy something that has not been done since 1953 which seen a 50 per cent teacher turnover rate per year and six superintendents since 1966 A building program started since the present facility is inadequate and in desperate need of repair Improve its curriculum which has suffered for lack of coordination due to a high teacher turnover Electives are lacking as is a bilingual education program in the school that has 54 per cent 'Mexican-American students hut no Mexican-American teachers Improve health standards (that include building problems Bike smelly restrooms faulty wiring lack of window screens broken windows cracking walls and open utility connections AND INVOLVE the community the total school program a problem that 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