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AHS, Sul Ross ex is named high school principal
By Cindy Perry / cindyperry@alpineavalanche.com
Alpine ISD trustees chose Virginia Cobos Caballero as the next Alpine High School principal during their regular meeting Wednesday night.
Caballero is expected to be on the job Friday, said Supt. Jose Cervantes. She was hired on a one-year probationary contract, he added.
Her selection came after interviews with 14 or 15 candidates out of a pool of 30 applicants, Cervantes said.
The Alpine High School and Sul Ross State University graduate most recently has been a principal with the Lamesa school district. She previously was a counselor with the Pecos and Balmorhea schools.
Trustees also approved one-year probationary contracts for Ray Bullock as industrial arts teacher and Lacy Doster, to serve with the 588 Cooperative, contingent on the cooperative’s approval.
The school board and citizens watched a presentation by Darrell Dodds, district business manager, on the proposed tax rate (rollback) election scheduled for Oct. 6. If voters approve the issue, the tax rate would increase to $1.28 per $100 valuation from the current $1.15. A total of $1.17 would be for maintenance and operation, while 11 cents would go toward debt service.
Trustees and school administrators have discussed budget woes for several months, and Dodds emphasized that if voters rejected the new tax rate, the district would have to take about $714,000 out of savings to balance the budget. If voters give their OK, the district’s annual tax on a $100,000 home would grow less than 50 cents a day. Taxes on homesteads of residents age 65 and older would not be affected.
Alpine ISD’s average daily attendance (ADA) has been steadily declining for over 10 years, Dodds said, yet expenses have continued to increase. A school district’s ADA is a crucial benchmark: It’s what the state uses to allocate funds.
Last year, 134 school districts called tax rate elections and 108 were approved by voters.
Dodds said he plans to explain the district’s financial situation to Alpine civic clubs and probably will schedule a town hall session soon.
In other action Wednesday, the school board:
~ Approved a list of administrators certified to conduct appraisals; they are Cervantes, Verl O’Bryant, Alpine Middle School Principal Panchi Scown, Alpine Elementary Principal Kendall Burling and Caballero. In a related matter, the board also approved a calendar for teacher appraisals.
~ Reviewed campus and district accountability ratings.
~ Scheduled the next regular board meeting for Sept. 18.
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