By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A The financial mess at Wilmer-Hutchins ISD isn’t the first such crisis presided over by Superintendent Charles Matthews. In tiny Karnack ISD, amid the cypress trees of Caddo Lake on the furthest edge of East Texas, a healthy fund balance quickly went away when Dr. Matthews became superintendent in […]
By Joshua Benton and Herb Booth Staff Writers Page 1B Friday came and went, and still there were no paychecks for nearly three-quarters of Wilmer-Hutchins school district employees. Teachers and other workers were led to believe they could expect payment Friday – two days late. Instead, they were told there would be no pay until […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A It became clear Wednesday what a Wilmer-Hutchins official meant this week when he said the school district was “pretty much broke.” The district failed to meet payroll, leaving teachers, other employees and parents wondering if the district has a future. “It just doesn’t make any sense,” said Sharon […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1E In 1878, high in the Appalachian hills, Randell McCoy looked upon the hog pen of his neighbor, Floyd Hatfield. One of those hogs looks familiar, he thought. Too familiar. Randell angrily accused Floyd of stealing the hog. The men argued the case in court; when Floyd won, Randell […]
By Joshua Benton and Robert Tharp Staff Writers Page 1A Wilmer-Hutchins schools faced double scrutiny Tuesday: from the state, which announced a rare investigative audit into its finances, and from their own police chief, who alleged corruption among district leaders. “I can promise you that TEA will act decisively and will do the right thing,” […]
Read More… from State audit set for W-H; School leaders are corrupt, police chief tells grand jury
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A The Wilmer-Hutchins school district is out of money, according to its chief financial officer, and the Texas Education Agency is considering intervening. “I talked to my accountant and we’re $100,000 in the hole right now,” the district’s business manager, Phillip Roberson, testified during a hearing Monday regarding a […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 2A The year’s first school bell finally rang for the rest of Wilmer-Hutchins High School. Freshmen and sophomores reported for class Monday at Hutchins Elementary. Juniors started at the career and technology building on the high school campus. Officials had decided seniors would start school last week at the […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Wilmer-Hutchins ISD officials were told two years ago that nearly all their schools suffered from such poor maintenance that they should be abandoned and razed, according to a consultant’s report. The August 2002 report, prepared by the Texas Association of School Administrators, said only 6 percent of classrooms […]
By Joshua Benton and Herb Booth Staff Writers Page 1A No one who has paid attention through the years could have been surprised by word that Wilmer-Hutchins High School was finally so neglected and dilapidated – roach-infested, full of rot, leaky roof – that it couldn’t open for weeks or even months. To those who […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Like accountants after a change in the tax code, test-prep companies thrive on anxiety. And the new SAT is creating enough anxiety to drive business through the roof. “This is the biggest growth year we’ve had in decades,” said Jon Zeitlin, general manager of SAT and ACT preparation […]