People, Places & Events

Rotarians hear Texas Workforce goals
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–The goals for the Texas Workforce are succinct, and the service is readily available.
First, to increase employment opportunities, and to make the application for those seeking employment easier, particularly for handicapped individuals, Judd Quarles with Texas Workforce Solutions in East Texas told Rotarians.
Quarles was the speaker at Friday’s weekly Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake luncheon.
“Five years ago, the Texas Workforce did a study on the availability and needs for services in the state,” Quarles said.
The Texas Workforce divided the state into five regions, with the area Quarles represents encompassing from Rains to Anderson counties on the west and to the Louisiana border on the east.
“Our services are free to employees and employers alike,” Quarles explained. “The state of Georgia put in a similar program modified after the Texas plan.”
One serious need covered unemployment for the handicapped, so programs were initiated to help them find work they were able to do.
“We made sure our offices were open during convenient hours and locations,” he said.
Since most companies require prospective employees to apply on-line, “We teach individuals how to use computers and how to apply for jobs,” Quarles said.
Other programs Texas Workforce features includes seeking employers to hire felons and summer employment for youth.
In the summer work program, Texas Workforce pays the youth’s salary for six weeks, thus allowing him/her to obtain actual work experience without a major cost investment by the employer.
“Almost one third of the population has a felony conviction record,” he explained, adding without that large population, the workforce would suffer extreme shortages.

Marshall explains MISD education
goals to Chamber members
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–Mabank Independent School District employees have two main goals – first, to get students to school and back safe or safer than when they were picked up, Superintendent Dr. Russell Marshall said.
The second goal is to see that students get their education, Marshall told members and guests at the monthly Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon July 9.
Teachers push to teach from bell to bell, Marshall explained.
“There is no more valued and needed job in the world than the classroom teacher,” he said. “We believe the rubber meets the road in the classroom.”
Teamwork is very important, he emphasized.
“No one does it alone, and no campus is an island,” Marshall stressed.
With those thoughts in mind, the district has steadily increased its standardized test scores.
“U.S. News recognized Mabank as one of the best high schools in the U.S.,” Marshall said.
Teamwork is also a goal outside the classroom.
“When I first came here in 2003, the people weren’t working together. That became my goal, uniting everybody together for one purpose,” he explained.
The idea worked, with the school district becoming the umbrella for lake-area communities.
The financial holdings of the district make it a business, he said, adding praise for Scott Adams, the assistant superintendent of business.
“Currently, the district is valued at over $1 billion,” he said.
School districts are funded on average daily attendance (ADA). With a total of 3,340 students, state payments can total more than $12 million for each school year, much of it paid out in salaries.
Teacher incentive grants for the past year totaled approximately $681,160, he added.
Some past changes in district programs include:
• changing pre-K from all day to half day.
• adding daycare for employees.
• establishing Academy classes for students considered at risk of dropping out.
• establishing a dual credit program to give students a boost into college.
“I have three publics to answer to – the students, the employees and the taxpayer/community,” Marshall said.


Monitor Photo/Barbara Gartman
The Ambassadors for the Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce chose
both area libraries to share the “Business of the Month” award for July for their
on-going contributions to the community. Pictured are The Library at Cedar Creek
Lake PR/marketing representative Elian Haan-Bakke (left), Ambassador president
Sharron Strickland and Tri-County Library director Claire Stout.

York added to state technology committee
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
KAUFMAN–Kaufman County technology director George York has moved up the technology ladder, commissioners were told Monday.
County Judge Wayne Gent announced the honor and invited York to explain the position.
The original committee is CIRA (County Information Resources Information), York explained.
“I went down (to Austin, by invitation) last week, and was put on the overall IT (information technology) board,” he said.
“George’s expertise is now known statewide,” Gent said.
In other business, commissioners:
• accepted the June report from county tax assessor/collector Dick Murphy.
A little more than 94 percent has been collected for the general fund and the same amount for the Road & Bridge fund, Murphy reported.
Total taxes collected for the general fund, including the penalty and interest, was $27,368,362, he said.
Taxes collected for Road & Bridge totaled $4,428,167, he added.
“While that number is a little less than the normal 95 percent collected at this time, on July 1, we collected almost half a million for that day,” he explained.
“I am confident we will meet our normal 96 percent at the end of the (fiscal) year,” he added.
• approved a resolution to present to the Texas Department of Transportation, asking for a traffic study on State Highway 243 where two other roads, Farm-to-Market 2515 and County Road 104, converge.
Residents have complained the existing speed limit on SH 243 is too high (65 mph) for the number of roads intersecting the highway, in addition to the driveways of a church and a business in the same vicinity.
• appointed Dale Hamm, Gary Pearson, Marty Baker, James Poston and Harvey Chitty to the Kaufman County Rural Emergency Services District No. 3 board of directors and accepted the financial report from ESD No. 3.
• approved a request from Embarq to install cable under or across the right-of-way of CR 155A and CR 4044 in Precinct 4.
• paid bills totaling $619,527.45.