This Week

The Donley County Commissioners Court enacted a burn ban during their regular meeting Monday, September 11.

Even with the rain earlier this week, warm weather and high winds will quickly make conditions ripe for wildfires thanks to growth of brush and grass earlier this summer.

Under the commissioners’ order no outdoor burning is allowed on a day of a forecasted Fire Weather Watch or a Red Flag Warning issued from the National Weather Service in Amarillo.

Anyone engaging in outdoor burning must contact the Donley County Sheriff’s office prior to ignition and give the dispatcher a burn location, a contact phone number, and approximate burn time.

The persons engaging in outdoor burning needs to be present on the site of the burn until the burn is completed.

Anyone engaging in any form of outdoor burning is asked to burn with extreme caution at all times.

The burn ban will stay in effect for the next 90 days.

Also at Monday’s county meeting, commissioners approved their regular meeting schedule and the holiday schedule for fiscal year 2024. Trainings were approved for County Clerk Vicki Tunnell and County Attorney Landon Lambert.

Commissioners considered and approved donating the county’s unclaimed capital property to the Saints’ Roost Museum. The unclaimed funds are dispersed to the county from the state and this year amounted to $3,800.

The county nominated Lon Adams, Jacob Fangman, and Johnny Floyd to serve another term on the Donley County Appraisal District Board. Elections by the local taxing entities will be held later.

County Judge John Howard reported the window repair project at the courthouse should be finished this month, weather permitting, and said work on the county barn at Hedley is continuing.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) approved emergency rules at a special-called board meeting last week that will govern Texas’ new funding system for Clarendon College and other community colleges, effective September. 1.

House Bill 8 (HB 8), passed by the Texas Legislature during its 88th session and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in June, codified the new, dynamic model that will fund community colleges in Texas. The model moves to an outcomes-based approach and rewards colleges for awarding degrees, certificates, and other “credentials of value.”

Clarendon College President Tex Buckhaults said the state’s community colleges cooperated on building the new funding model.

“All 50 college districts came together for the good of everyone,” Buckhaults said. “We’re not competing against each other; we’re working together, and student success is paramount. We want to get them finished and get them in good paying jobs.”

Buckhaults said CC is receiving $3.01 million under the new formula thanks to its long history of high student success rates.

“This isn’t new; it’s what we’ve been doing,” he said.

Gov. Abbott said the new formula will be good for the future of Texas.

“The Texas of tomorrow depends on ensuring our students have the workforce training and preparation needed to succeed in dynamic, high-demand industries,” said Gov. Abbott. “House Bill 8 is a transformational step forward in funding Texas community colleges based on measurable outcomes and supporting work-based learning opportunities for hardworking Texans. I thank the Texas Legislature and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for working to improve the community college system in the state of Texas and help meet the needs of our growing state.”

This action by the Coordinating Board finalizes the fiscal year 2024 formula and the new funding model for community colleges. Formula funding will be distributed in three installments with 50 percent being released on Oct. 15, 25 percent on Feb. 15 and the final 25 percent on June 15.

“The Board’s unanimous approval of these new emergency rules to implement House Bill 8 will transform how we fund community colleges, putting a primary focus on student outcomes,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Harrison Keller. “This was the culmination of many months of research, planning, data analysis, outreach, communications, and collaboration following the signing of House Bill 8 by Governor Greg Abbott.”

The legislation, sponsored and championed by Rep. Gary VanDeaver and Sen. Brandon Creighton, expands upon the report and year-long efforts of the Texas Commission on Community College Finance.

“The Board is grateful to the committee members, community college leaders, and agency staff who helped get the new funding model to full implementation within just a few short months,” said Chairman of the Coordinating Board Dr. Fred Farias. “Now our community colleges can work toward improving student outcomes and increasing the number of credentials of value so more Texans benefit from our rich economy.”

The passage of HB 8, and the allocation of $684 million in the state budget, positions Texas as a national leader in tying funding for community colleges to measurable student-focused outcomes. These include: The number of credentials of value awarded, including badges, certificates, and degrees, that position graduates for well-paying jobs. Credentials of value awarded in high-demand fields where employers are looking for skilled employees. Successful student transfers from community colleges to four-year universities. Completion of a sequence of dual credit courses, which are offered to high school students and can set them on early pathways to success.

The West Texas Ranch Rodeo announced last week a new home for 2024 and beyond. This WRCA Sanctioned event will be hosted by the Amarillo National Center at the Tri-State Fairgrounds.
2024 will be the 3rd year for the West Texas Ranch Rodeo and will be held April 26 and 27 in the Amarillo National Center. Amarillo will now be the host of Spring, Summer and Fall Major Leage Ranch Rodeos!

The Adult rodeo will be a (two go) WRCA Sanctioned rodeo featuring 14 Ranch teams. Saturday morning April 27th will see the Youth (single go) rodeo.

Fourteen youth teams are slated for this event. Moving to the Amarillo National Center will allow the rodeo to add other ancillary events as well.

The competitors have to prove they make their living working cattle to put steak on your plate. Each team is certified by the Working Ranch Cowboys Association and adheres to the rules of the World Championship Ranch Rodeo. This rodeo is presented by Modelo and the Amarillo Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Ranch kids up to 16 years of age create a team of five members where their cumulative age is less than 66.

Each team is certified by the Working Ranch Cowboys Association and adheres to the rules of the Youth World Championship Ranch Rodeo. The Youth Ranch Rodeo is presented by Oliver Saddle Shop of Amarillo.

Each team will compete in each of their events twice. Once Friday night and then Saturday night with performances starting at 7pm. Points and times from each performance are combined to get placings.

More spectators can come as since the rodeo will be indoors. More teams can be invited to the Rodeo. More ancillary events can be added such as horse shoeing contest, horse tank golfing, calf fry, crafts competitions and more. Announcements will be made soon detailing all of the new additions.

For more information contact Lane Provence 806-806-570-8983 [email protected]

An armed safety officer will soon be working at Clarendon CISD as the school complies with a new state requirement.

State Trooper Kelly Hill will be retiring from his current position and taking on the new role through cooperation with the Donley County Sheriff’s office.

Superintendent Jarod Bellar said the new position is an unfunded mandate from the Legislature.
“House Bill 3 requires that we have a licenses peace officer on each campus effective September 1,” Bellar said.

Clarendon CISD technically has three campuses – high school, junior high, and elementary – but Hill will be the safety officer over the entire school under a Good Faith Exception resolution approved by the school board.

The state is providing $15,000 per campus for the first year, plus $10 per student, which amounts to a total of about $49,000 in state funds for the first year. There’s no guarantee that money will be available in the future, and the total is not enough to cover the expense of employing and equipping Hill’s position, Bellar said.

“We’ll have to use some of our own money,” he said.

In addition, the school will work with Hill to identify potential school employees who would be willing and able to be trained to carry a weapon for those times when Hill is absent or not available.

“Kelly will bring a lot of experience and knowledge to the job,” Bellar said. “He will be a real asset to the district. It gives me a feeling that a weight has been lifted knowing we have someone who will run towards a threat.”

Hill will technically be a deputy of the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, which will carry his commission as a peace officer, but all the expense of his position will be the responsibility of the school district.

Before going to work for the DPS, Hill served as a deputy under Sheriff Butch Blackburn.
“I would only do this with certain candidates – someone I was familiar with,” Blackburn said. “Kelly will have our kids best interests and safety at heart,”

Blackburn said Hedley school officials are planning to arm additional teachers to comply with the new state requirements.

Enrollment is up at Clarendon College this fall as the school celebrates its 125th anniversary.
Total headcount following the 12th class day last week was reported at 1,373, an increase of 6.8 percent over last year’s fall enrollment of 1,285.

CC President Tex Buckhaults said growth was primarily in dual credit classes and enrollment in prison classes. Headcount was up slightly on the Clarendon campus from 288 last year to 291 this year, while enrollments at the Pampa, Childress, and Amarillo centers remained flat with enrollments of 100, 34, and 66 respectively.

Dual credit students through area high schools totaled 659 up from 616 a year ago.
The number of students taking courses through area correctional facilities grew to 124 compared to 81 last fall.

Distance education students – those taking classes strictly online – dropped one from 100 to 99.

Students attending CC this year will benefit from three new positions designed to improve student success rates. Buckhaults said the college has hired Dr. Mitch Parker as the new dean of students along with Tamara Bains and Charlata King as student support specialists. CC will be trying to improve early alerts that might indicate students in need of help whether the problem is attendance or trouble logging into classes, Buckhalts said.

State funding is going to be measured on student success going forward. CC received an additional $2.6 million in state funds this year, pushing its overall budget to $12.59 million. In addition to the new positions, Buckhaults said the college was able to boost all employee salaries by $1,800 per year and other compensation for stipends and adjunct pay were also increased.

Buckhaults said the student supports specialists’ work over the summer shows promise for the future as it resulted in higher passing grades for students.