Category: Howe News Bulletin

Howe ISD has been in the minority of not offering insurance to students. In the past, students have been injured and either did not have insurance or did not have adequate insurance. Fundraisers have taken place over the years to help the gap between medical bills and Superintendent Kevin Wilson says now is the time to provide insurance at the school level.

“I personally feel like for a fairly small amount of money, it’s something we can offer for our students and parents,” said Wilson to the school board on Monday night. “It will cover not only athletic events but if a kid fell off the monkey bars and broke his arm.”

The board looked at four different types of insurance that were specified for different services. Wilson recommended an unallocated plan to the board.

The plan would cover players in athletics that suffer an injury unless it is an injury due to repetitive motion (such as a baseball pitcher’s throwing arm).

Prior to this motion, any player that was injured in a football game or any other sport would be liable 100 percent for any injury cost. The school district had no liability prior to Monday’s action. School Board Member Clint Catching made the motion to provide student accident insurance and allow the administration to choose a policy.

All new heating and air at Howe High for 2018-19 school year

With the high school now 18 years old, the air conditioning and heating units are in need of being replaced and are now scheduled to be done by the time the students arrive.

Open bidding went out last month and the district received four bids which the lowest bidder was $343,843, however, Howe ISD Superintendent Kevin Wilson checked references and found that another bidder with good feedback. Wilson recommended to the board that they contract McDaniel Air of Collinsville and their bid of $358,400. McDaniel has done work for Howe ISD in the past and Wilson was comfortable with their work.

“I know there’s discussion of whether we have the money to do that or not, but the bottom line is that they have to be replaced,” said Wilson. “We’re spending a lot of money replacing some and if you’re going to rent a crane, you might as well rent a crane and knock them out instead of doing one or two at a time. It’s time. They’re 18 years old.”

The board approved the motion to accept the bid from McDaniel Air and the work should be completed by the summer’s end.

 

Howe ISD teacher changes

Howe ISD Superintendent Kevin Wilson announced at the Board of Trustees meeting last week that he has accepted resignations from Erica Allen and Priscilla Lankford, both aides at the elementary school. Allen is going back to school to pursue her teaching certificate while Lankford, a prior substitute indicated she wanted to go back to that role due to flexibility.

He said interviews were taking place for a high school history teacher/coach as well as a middle school history teacher/coach, assistant band director, two elementary aides, and an elementary physical education coach.

“We were rocking right along and then we’ve hit a lull,” Wilson told the board. “But I think they’ve done some interviews and are looking for that perfect fit.”

In the April 23 edition of the Howe Enterprise, it was announced that the City of Howe and Howe ISD would partner together to share a resource officer. However, the number of applicants were small and Howe ISD has moved forward with a different plan.

Howe ISD Superintendent Kevin Wilson has been reluctant in the past to have the district create a police force, but after visiting with Anna ISD and their situation, he feels now that having a Howe ISD Police Chief that answers to the district and not the city council is more favorable.

“Another pro for us to be able to find a police chief is that it’s an opportunity for advancement for possibly someone who is retiring from a city or county force and can get into the school business and get in our retirement benefits,” said Wilson to the board.

After visiting with Anna ISD’s police chief, Wilson felt more comfortable since the chief said they had wished it were set up sooner.

The first step in the process is to hire an SSD (safety and security director) which would be a police officer who would be commissioned by another organization. The officer would be armed security for the district and would be the police chief-in-waiting. There is a process to be approved to have an ISD police force which is a three to six-month process. In the interim through the process period, the SSD would have that title instead of police chief until the ISD process has been fulfilled.

“When everything gets approved, the SSD becomes the chief and we can hire additional officers at that time,” said Wilson.

The going rate for a school police chief is $70,000 to $80,000. Wilson said he and Howe ISD Finance Director Julie Snapp looked at the budget and were able to shift dollars around in order to make room for the hire.

Another expense that the district would incur would be a police vehicle. Wilson says that he learned from the Anna ISD police chief that they could purchase a Dodge Charger for far less than $31,000. The projected cost in year one is $57,000 plus the salary. Wilson says the bulk of that amount is in the vehicle but expects it to be far less than the projected amount. The total slot would be $110,000 for the first year to start the Howe ISD Police Force.

Wilson did discuss other options with the board including hiring security companies or off-duty officers.

“My main thing is that I want a person assigned here every day where it’s not a revolving door with an officer that doesn’t know our kids,” said Wilson. “I don’t want just an armed presence. A big part of this I think is becoming part of the district and building relationships with students and staff.”

Wilson also suggested that down the road if the officer has a degree, they could teach some courses.

Wilson suggested that he felt comfortable that the district could find a police chief by the beginning of this school year and be in a situation to have multiple officers by this time next year.

School Board Member Clint Catching made the motion which carried unopposed.

The primary driver of any ISD budget is the compensation plan and Howe is no different. All across the country, people say that teachers don’t get paid enough and Howe ISD has improved their pay scale again this year to be competitive to attract high-quality educators as well as retain high-quality educators. The district upped their starting salary to $40,000 per year.

“We compare pretty well with Grayson County, but when you go south, they are all well above $40,000.,” Superintendent Kevin Wilson told the Howe ISD Board of Trustees on Monday night.

All other ISD staff members received a three percent raise and teachers with over 20 years experience and not on the pay schedule will receive a $500 step increase. The starting salary for an aid was $14,250 and will now be increased to $15,000. The ISD did a comparison with other local districts and found they were beneath the average payment amount for substitutes and raised the rate for certified substitutes from $70 to $80 per day. With insurance for employees going up to $367, the total budget for payroll came to $8,493,089.

The enrollment increased from 1066 students at the end of the 2017 school year to 1199 at the end of 2018. The ISD is adding six positions to keep the student/teacher ratio at 13.31 which is in line with the last five school years with the exception of last year due to the increase in students by 130 while working on the same budgeted amount for teachers.

“Teachers will increase from 86 to 90 and that’s the greatest need we have and that’s where we want to put our money,” said Wilson to the board.

The district saw a 15 percent increase in property tax evaluations and Wilson said he expects another 15 percent increase. However, they base their tax rate on 96 percent of evaluation totals to make for a conservative figure. During Wilson’s term as superintendent, the tax rate has always decreased from the original projection based on the conservative figure he presents in mid-summer.

The estimated revenue for the 2018-19 school year’s general fund is $11,343,551 which is roughly $800,000 increase from last year. Payroll cost is $8,493,0859 which is increased from $7,707,093 a year ago. Payroll cost is generally 75 percent of the total budget and it is scheduled that way once again for this school year.

Factoring in all revenues, the budget reflects $13,669,844 which includes the general fund amount plus $508,300 for food service, $1,546,220 for debt service (bonds), and $271,773 from federal funds. The increase in budget from a year ago is slightly over $1.4 million. Expenditures are the same except for the debt service is short $220,000 due to the district paying the first bond payment from reserves without tax revenue initially recovered.

Upon looking at a possible tax rate, the local rate is scheduled to remain the same at $1.17 and the debt services amount will increase from $0.225 to approximately $0.38 if everything falls into place with the new bond amount. Therefore, the bond will take the overall tax rate from $1.395 to approximately $1.556.

If there were no increases in home valuations, the overall tax burden means that the average Howe home which is listed at $156,110 would see a real increase in their taxes from $1,689 to $1,908 which equates to a $219 increase yearly or $18 monthly. But in real life terms, valuations are steadily increasing and combined with the tax increase would make the average Howe home valued at $180,395 which would result in an annual increase of $504 or $42 monthly.

Former Howe Police Officer Tom Mrozinski, who is now on the force of the Frisco Police Department spoke to the Howe City Council on Tuesday in regards to a $15,000 valued donation of equipment he was able to help earmark for the Howe Police Department.

“Over the years, I’ve helped donate equipment to not only Howe but other agencies in Southern Grayson County such as armored vests, uniforms, and things our agency is able to get in surplus,” said Mrozinski to the council. “I’ve been going to our chief and recommending that we donate items set to be destroyed to be donated to smaller agencies that can use them.”

Frisco PD was able to get a grant for new 3D surveying equipment for investigating crime scenes. This meant that the previous equipment would no longer be needed. Mrozinski recommended the Howe PD for the donation. He initially made the agreement with then-Howe Police Chief Carl Hudman but the donation was made official at Tuesday’s council meeting.

The items are surveying equipment minus the software. The software would enable Howe to supply to the district attorney a much better presentation for a crime scene.

Three Frisco PD Officers have agreed to supply minor training to the Howe Officers for use of the equipment.

Mrozinski’s 25-year service as an officer began in Howe in 1993. He has also served as a city council member.

Clay Barnett, Grayson County Engineer addressed the Howe City Council on Tuesday and told them that the county has projected roughly a 350,000 population for the county in 2040 which is an increase of over 200,000. He stated that the majority of that would be in South Grayson County. With that information, the commissioners’ court tasked Barnett with creating a county-wide thoroughfare plan for each city to adopt.

“We started with all of the cities that had thoroughfare plans, for example, Sherman, Denison, Gunter, Van Alstyne, and Howe,” Barnett told the council. “The goal is to be able to get from one side of the county to the other.”

Barnett said one of the projects they are looking at is the FM 902 connection which currently spills west traffic through town instead of a direct connection. Barnett said the plan has language that requires developers to donate right-of-ways along the projected expansions.

County Commissioner Jeff Whitmire told the council that people have been talking about growth for 40 years but now it’s really happening.

“How do we get the infill between (US Highway) 75 and (Texas State Highway) 289 and how do we take advantage of it,” said Whitmire to the council.

He indicated that FM 121 would be a main connection as well as FM 902 and State Highways 56 and 82.

“This is kind of a two-part deal,” said Whitmire. “Right now we have to have a comprehensive thoroughfare plan to access some additional TxDOT dollars. That means that everyone is on board with it.”

Whitmire says that Gunter did not have a quorum present at their city council meeting to approve the plan and that they were meeting in special session next week. Otherwise, he stated that Sherman, Pottsboro, Denison, Van Alstyne, Whitesboro, and Van Alstyne have all approved the plan. He stated that after July 4, they are scheduled with Whitewright, Tioga, Bells, and Collinsville.

“You will remain in control what happens inside the city of Howe,” Whitmire told the council. “If you decide several years from now that you don’t like a certain angle, then you change it and update us and we update the entire document. The county is not taking control of what happens. Howe still has control over what happens in Howe.”

Howe councilman Sam Haigis asked whether Howe would have access to the TxDOT dollars in which Whitmire said that most of the dollars would be spent on US Highway 75. But he said the county wants to fix FM 902 for a major east/west connection which has to be remedied in Tom Bean and in Howe.

“We can devote county money, some resources from TxDOT if there’s some city participation also on what would be a state road. It has to become a state road which FM 902 already is,” said Whitmire.

The council approved the plan unopposed.

Derek Honea of RBC Capital Markets gave a presentation to the school board on Monday night and indicated that the entered the bond market on Monday morning and had a great result due to the great economic market.

“I got all of the bonds sold and all the interest rates locked in,” Honea told the board. “We scheduled the delivery date, closing date as July 24.”

The district went to the Howe voters stating the projected tax rate for the bond would be $0.454 but the rate was held at $0.379 for the first ten years and then lowering to $0.3337 and $0.338 beyond.

“We’ve handicapped your appraisal value at 96 percent so we think it could be even better than this,” said Honea to the board. “We came in seven pennies better than what we went out to voters so that’s always our goal.”

The final 2018 debt service was $1,508,345 lower than what was presented to the board in May of 2018 and $2,540,093 lower than what was presented to voters prior to the 2017 bond election.

“We always try to come under budget and we were happy to be able to do that for you,” said Honea.

The All-In True Interest Cost is 3.71 percent and the principal amount of the bonds is $16,495,000 with an Original Issue Premium of $733,628.70 for a Total Sources amount of $17,228,628.70. The maturity date is scheduled for 2045 which is a 25-year bond which is what was given to voters. The optional call date of seven years allows the district to refinance or redeem the bonds for cash.

Bonds are typically purchased by hedge funds and insurance companies.

On May 31, the district met with S&P Global Ratings by teleconference. That discussion upgraded the district’s credit rating from an A+ to an A–. S&P’s rating reflects stable operations and a maintenance of very strong reserves. The only negative feedback was moderate to moderately high overall net debt burden which is a result of carrying bonds. The district was also afforded the use of the Permanent School Fund Guarantee and its AAA credit rating.

Superintendent Kevin Wilson says that the opening of the school is still scheduled to be opened in August of 2019. The architects’ drawings are 75 percent complete and the district will begin soliciting bids in July and August for construction. The first sign of dirt being moved should happen in late August.

Howe ISD is working on easement acquisition for water and sewer. The district and the City of Howe are compiling a study for fire suppression standards and the size of the water line needed. The district hired a fire engineer that can do a study and determine the actual needs and investigate the possibility of having their own on-site tank and pump.

“The architect is breaking up the building to put different firewalls and create different sections which will lower the amount of water to do that,” said Wilson. “If the storage tank is a half a million dollars, it may not make sense. But if it’s $250,000 it may.”

Wilson said the worst case scenario would have the district spending $800,000 on a water line.

by Monte Walker

Hurricane Creek Country Club is celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year and to commemorate the event, we took a stroll around 18 holes with one of the club’s most iconic members. It’s hard to capture the history of 50 years in two hour’s worth of golf cart touring around 18 holes, but as the early morning dew burned off of the immaculate landscaping, Oscar Williams and I took a 50-year ride around entire course.

Over 50 years ago rumors began floating around Howe, Van Alstyne, and Anna that the region may be getting a golf course. The rumors died down but were boiled up a year later. Members from the region began rolling up their sleeves and moving forward to make sure the momentum was sustained. One of those that stepped up was then-City of Van Alstyne employee named Oscar Williams who was a 1942 graduate of Van Alstyne High School and now a 95-year-old retired Hurricane Creek Grounds Superintendent. In total, he worked at Hurricane Creek for 40 years.

“They wanted a hundred of us to put up $100 each and put it in the bank before they’d even talk to us,” said Williams.

Once the money was secured, the investors began discussing two sites for options. One was a mile and a half northwest of Van Alstyne with a small government lake while the other was the present location which had a larger government lake. The two lakes were built approximately in 1956 according to Williams. They decided on its present location even before US Highway 75 was built. Williams remembers that the road leading to the future club property was a dirt road.

In his slow charming and classic 1930s-reared Texas drawl. Williams said, “If you’s (sic) out here and it came a good rain, you’s (sic) gone (sic) get stuck before you got out a here.”

Once Highway 75 was constructed in 1969, the dues went up $5 per month from $10 to $15 to build the road from the highway. Williams said that Luke Adams was the first person in charge at Hurricane Creek and was a great promoter that grew the membership to 450 initially.

Anyone that visits with Williams cannot mistake his slow-talking Texas twang for slow-moving. The 95-year-old gets around better than most 65-year-olds and thinks quicker than most people who write articles. During my visit with Williams, we decided to get a cart and drive each hole from one through 18 and let him share his 50 years of working the terrain on each hole and significant features and moments of each one.

Before we started, we drove by a monument that was dedicated to him in November 2016 designating the area now known as the “Oscar Williams Short Game Practice Area.”

Williams told about the changes to the first green which was supposed to be tucked into the west side of the creek more, but was changed for reasons unknown. As we approached the second hole, he drove and found a golf ball in which he picked up, inspected, and claimed it to be a $4 ball and put it in the cart. As we approached the tee box for the second hole, he explained that the original design was to have a bridge over the creek to the south and that the box would have been across the bridge, however, funds limited that project.

As we drove the first stretch of four holes he informed me that he has eagled just about every hole on the course which is pretty good for a man who never played golf until he was 55-years-old. Thanks to a net near the cart barn, Williams hit 150 balls a day and dropped his handicap from a 16 to four.

As we reached hole number five, he said it is the toughest hole on the entire golf course.

“It doesn’t say it is, but it is,” said Williams.

The scorecard shows that hole five is the easiest to play, however, he quickly scoffed at that notion and said that they must have made a mistake.

“There’s been more bogeys, double bogeys, and triple bogeys here than anywhere else out here,” said Williams.

As we cruised hole 6, he explained that he stopped playing golf at age 93 and the last time he played, he shot an 83 which he was proud to say was 10 shots under his age.

Throughout the morning, I received a history lesson of the first sand trap that was placed in which he built, water holes that he dug and removed, and trees he helped save and ones that he transplanted.

As we turned to hole seven he explained that the course has changed from common Bermuda grass when he was superintendent to Tifdwarf Bermuda and hole eight is where I learned that there were three crew members that managed the course during his tenure, but that crew has swelled to 13.

We dog-legged left around hole nine and rounded 10 where I learned the concrete paths were put in place around 1973 to 1975. At hole number 11, one of the most important trees to the course was hit hard by lighting in the early 1980s. Williams said they called a tree surgeon to examine it and remedy a solution to save it. The surgeon stated that the tree is was well over 200-years-old which would push it up to near 250-300 or more currently. A small area of the healing can still be seen on the tree.

“We thought (the lightning) would kill it. It’s a very important tree to this number 11 hole,” said Williams. “The surgeon said, ‘if you’ll fill it in and take care of it – give it a little fertilizer once in a while it may make it.'”

Around the way to hole 11 he told me a 4-acre lake was constructed some time ago that is 10 feet deep.

“I bought 200 Florida Bass and put in there and 65 pounds of Fathead Minnows and that’s eight dozen minnows to the pound,” said Williams.

In 1985, at retirement age, Williams decided to do just that and stepped down as superintendent of Hurricane Creek. But after getting bored, he came back as a regular employee to mow the fairways.

Back in 1973, Williams saved a sprout of a pecan tree and later transplanted it onto the Fairway of 12. He picks up the pecans from the tree, takes them home, cracks them, bags them and gives them away.

We cascaded near a creek bank on the 13th hole where he pointed out where an older man with Hodgkins disease once drove off in the creek and miraculously came out with only scratches.

Williams showed on a par 3 hole number 14 where he once bounced a ball off a cross tie near a pond into the hole for a hole-in-one. He also nearly lost his job in the 1970s there when he cleaned out a creek that the members thought ruined the view. However, he was saved by the president of the board of directors.

Near the northernmost property, a car once drove through the barbed wire fences, across the fairways, through a sand trap, up to the clubhouse through a plank fence, across the road to the south side of the property, and back through the north side across the driving range before finally getting hung up on tree on hole number 6.

“Nobody saw it, but the tracks will tell you exactly where he went,” said Williams as he laughed. “Somebody was really after that guy.”

Hole number 15 has two trees that were originally on the bank of hole 16. Williams hand dug them and replanted them to the right side of the fairway of hole 15. Nearly 50 years later, they are massive and beautiful to the course.

We flew past hole number 16 that has a pond full of fish that were jumping. On our way through hole 17 Williams stated that the equipment has changed so much now that they used to have to hit an iron off of the tee box on the par-5 and play to the right of the large trees in the path to the hole. But he says the equipment has improved so much that he sees players consistently hit the ball over the tree line now.

One day along the right side of hole 17 at the edge the lake, Williams was mowing when his tractor started spinning and stuck in the mud from a rain shower the previous evening.

“Every time I tried to go, it would slide toward that lake,” said Williams. “I put the brake on and locked it and tried to get some help. I stood up and about that time it started sliding and all I could do is jump as far as I could out in that lake. The tractor slid down the bank and flipped over and pinned me across my knees.”

Guys playing on the next hole ran and got the tractor off of him.

We rounded 17 to 18 which has a gorgeous view back to the east with the fountain in the middle of a lake with the 300-year-old tree in the background.

The history lesson was winding down as Williams talked about a flood that once had most of the west side holes underwater.

As we reached the clubhouse he discussed the changes it has undergone over the years. Today’s clubhouse was built in the late 1980s on the site where the former Olympic size swimming pool was.

As we finished our tour we discussed an article in the Van Alstyne Leader from 2016 when Hurricane Creek dedicated the area to him with his monument.

“Williams is the face of the club’s history, and the appreciation from the members was truly heartwarming,” wrote Rodney Williams, then of the Van Alstyne Leader.”

But Williams kept reminding me that the tour was not about him and what he had done for the club, but the tour was about the club and a celebration of its first 50 years. However, one can never talk about the history of Hurricane Creek without talking about Williams.

“Oscar is Mr. Hurricane Creek,” said member Bill Benton to the Van Alstyne Leader in 2016.

Williams is a World War II veteran who served under General Douglass MacArthur in the Philippines and who played baseball as an outfielder in the St. Louis Cardinals organization after serving his country. He quit his job as the City of Van Alstyne’s water and sewer superintendent due to friction with the mayor. He took a job with Hurricane Creek in 1973 on a temporary basis, but five months became five years. He mowed the fairways until age 89 when his doctors told him to watch the heat.

The first event was actually held on Oct. 1, 1967 as a two-person scramble playing the first nine holes that were built. The million dollar country club was the talk of the region during its opening in 1968.

Hurricane Creek is like a fine wine inside the clubhouse after a bird-chirping breezy day. We will be highlighting the 50-year-anniversary over the next six months on different events they are hosting including PGA tournaments and special events.

For membership information, call or text Caitlin Ihm at 214-842-1968.

New Howe Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bill Jehling, known simply as “Coach J” was impressed with the number of athletes that turned out for the strength and conditioning camp last Monday through Thursday. The camp averaged right at 100 athletes each day that consists of boys and girls that are entering seventh graders to entering seniors.

“We had some kids that were missing, but we’ll get them here. We’ll start making phone calls if we have to,” said Jehling.

Part of the success of the turnout is the roll call for attendance that is taken each morning.

“It holds them accountable. They know that if they don’t show up then they will make it up in the fall. So it’s getting them here,” said Jehling.

During the summer, the athletes are often on vacation and Jehling says that they are communicating if they have to miss a certain day.

Jehling says those that are attending the summer workouts will have a measurable advantage above those that are not showing up.

“I’m a firm believer whether it’s football, basketball, baseball, track, cross county – if you take the time in the summertime to devote yourself to being here, you’re going to be better the next year because you’re going to be coming into school in shape,” said Jehling. “These eight hours a week is huge for us. Because when school starts, you only get 30 minutes a day.”

The workouts are advantageous for a new head coach also because he’s getting to see the middle school athletes for the first time and the entering freshman class.

“I can see these kids and have an idea of what to do with them in 2-a-days. But if they don’t show up, I’m going to be blind to them in August and I’m going to be flying a hundred miles per hour so I’m getting better evaluations from them being here.”

Jehling says that the football players that don’t show up will come into camp out of shape and will struggle. He says that if they don’t take care of June and July, the three-hour workouts in August will be spent in part on conditioning instead of crucial season preparation.

“I’m a firm believer that we’ll be the best team in shape come Friday nights,” said Jehling.

Click for complete photo set

Anyone that has visited with the current athletes probably has heard the term “Sally-up, Sally-down” which is a workout that Jehling has incorporated. It’s a workout to the song that is used for push-ups, squats, and leg workouts. They also do a workout to the famous AC/DC song “Thunderstruck” where the athletes do jumping jacks during the song but have to do up-downs each time they hear the word thunderstruck. Throughout the song, the athletes end up doing around 35 up-downs.

“The kids tell me that they’re never marrying a girl named Sally,” said Jehling jokingly.

He says it’s a true core workout that teaches mental toughness and it allows him to see which kids will have the mental stamina and physical stamina to not quit.

“Who’s going to strive when they’re hurting? That’s what I like to find out,” said Jehling.

In addition to Sally-Up, Sally-Down, and Thunderstruck, the athletes are doing a lot of speed and agility drills, pushing tires, and weight training. Jehling does not have them doing deadlift at all because he says no sport at any moment has an athlete lifting dead weight. He wants everything to be about the explosion.

Jehling says he believes the kids have bought into the program, but wants to make sure the numbers remain past the first two weeks. He says that the week after the Fourth of July is a low attendance, but it picks back up at the end of July as they push towards 2-a-days.

“I’m excited. This time of year is the most exciting time for me because the next sport is football,” said Jehing. “It’s fun for me because I’m getting to see the kids every day and in the afternoon, I’m developing my plan for the season.”

Jehling said the first-week surprises were Sean Lukash and Jarron Ing. LuKash is scheduled to play an outside linebacker and wing back. Ing is an offensive lineman. He was also impressed with Devon Porter, Bryce Krantz, and Spencer Akins.