The Altus Times (Altus, Okla.), Vol. 116, No. 280, Ed. 1 Sunday, June 7, 2015 Page: 2 of 14
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Altus Times
OBITUARIES/NEWS
2A Sunday, June 7,2015
Staying safe when temperatures rise
OBITUARIES
ROBERT WELCH
CALENDAR
12th Man Club
Colorado to Altus in mid- encouraged to attend.
Contact Tinita at (580) 482-1221
Schools chief warns of larger classes, closing schools
Educators have rallied on the
as well as add five days of classes, toward revising the controversial
end-of-instruction testing. High
schools and teachers and prevent and business tax incentives
any real gains in academic per-
HERITAGE PARK 7
Social Security overpaid disability benefits by $17B
CONTACT US
will be at the Russell
Cemetery.
August and will be avail-
able to be picked up from
the truck. The cost is
$40/case. Please contact
Brian Bush at 471-3869,
• Check on animals frequently
to ensure that they are not suf-
fering from the heat. Ensure
they have water and a shady
place to rest.
• Eat small meals and eat
That would require an additional
$362 million a year.
Oklahoma has the lowest aver-
age teacher pay in the seven-state
region, according to data from
the National Center for Educa-
tion Statistics.
Adding five school days would
By Tinita Tennant
ttennant@civitasmedia.com
selling peaches
as fundraiser
218 W Commerce. PO Box 578. Altus OK 73521
Periodical postage paid at Altus. OK
POSTMASTER Send address changes to
The Altus Times. 218 W Commerce. Altus OK 73521
polishes every Sunday and Tuesday through Fr iday
Subscription rate is $107.24 per year
The ALTUS 12TH
MAN CLUB is pre
selling 20 lb. cases of
Cunningham Peaches
through Aug. 1 as a
fundraiser. The peaches
will be delivered from
day, June 13, at the Altus
Community Center on
Falcon Road. Donations
will be accepted there on
Friday, June 12, from 5
to 8 p.m. The garage sale
will begin at 7 a.m. on
Saturday.
The Anne Lee Chap-
ter of the Daughters of
the American Revolu-
tion will meet Saturday.
June 13 at 10:30 a.m. at
the Friendship Inn. This
will be a ‘New Prospec-
tive Member' Workshop
conducted by Linda
Mann, Outstanding
Genealogist of Lawton.
Meal is self pay if you
want to eat. Workshop
will begin by 12 noon.
For more information
contact: joy.grant@att.
net or lindafmann@
gmail.com.
Altus Masonic Lodge
No. 62 will hold a Stated
Communication on Tues-
day, June 16 at 7:30 p.m.
This is their monthly
family dinner. Fellow-
ship will be at 6:30 p.m.
All family members are
Kincannon Funeral
Home & Cremation
Service
interview.
Hofmeister said details are
I emerging that show the state’s
K-12 budget, which remained at
$2.5 billion for fiscal year 2016,
will ultimately result in cuts at
many school districts. Overhead
| costs such as insurance are
By Nate Robson
Oklahoma Watch
oil and gas production.
In Burns Flat-Dill City Public
Schools, for example, pink slips
were given to four of its elemen-
tary school teachers last month,
a move that will increase class
sizes.
Lawton Public Schools is clos-
shortage and low teacher pay,
overhauling the state’s high-
stakes testing requirements and
revamping the state’s A-F school
grades.
ing daily, school officials said.
“That teacher shortage is not
going to go away on its own,”
Hofmeister said.
Part of the problem is that low
pay and the current education cli-
mate makes teachers feel under-
makers have said budget short-
falls left insufficient money to
fund their requests.
Hofmeister said she will
continue promoting her plan
to increase teacher pay to the
wants to ax the state’s writing
exam, pointing out that it is not
required by federal law and is the
most expensive test.
This year is the second year
in a row the state is not using
the writing portion of the text in
calculating A-F grades for schools
because of concerns about the
accuracy of the results.
“Why are we even doing this?"
Hofmeister asked, referring to
the writing test. “There has got
to be a better way.”
Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
journalism organization that produces in
depth and investigative content on a range
of public policy issues facing the state For
more Oklahoma Watch content, go to www.
oklahomawatch org
been reassigned to Jones-
boro, Ark., after 4.5 years
service to Altus and com-
munity. They will serve
in Altus until June 21.
The Farewell Service will
be June 14 at 11 a.m. A
farewell dinner is planned
for June 20 at 6 p.m.
All are welcome at both
events.
The Southern Prai-
rie Library System’s
Summer Library Pro-
gram, “Every Hero Has
a Story,” will be held
every Thursday in June
and July through July
23. These programs are
sponsored in part by a
grant from the Oklahoma
Arts Council and the
Institute of Museum and
Library Services. For
more information, please
call the Altus Public
Library, 477-2890.
Teacher pay
Hofmeister said districts will
continue to struggle to recruit
new teachers and retain existing
changes.
• Wear loose-fitting, light-
weight, light-colored clothing.
Protect your skin by limiting the
amount of direct sunlight you
receive between 10:00 a.m. and
4:00 p.m. and wear sunscreen
with a protection factor of at
least 15.
Excessive heat can lead to sun-
burn, heat cramps, heat exhaus-
tion and heat stroke. To help
avoid problems, stay hydrated
by drinking plenty of fluids and
limit drinks with caffeine or
alcohol.
If someone is experiencing
heat cramps in the legs or abdo-
men, get them to a cooler place,
have them rest, lightly stretch
school students must pass four
of the seven tests to graduate.
Bills were proposed last legis-
lative session to reduce testing
or find an alternative test, but
none gained traction. Some
conservative political leaders are
worried that backing off testing
will reduce accountability for
ing end-of-course tests with the
ACT Aspire exam, which would
free up instructional time and
save money, she said.
“I want to see one test,” Hof-
meister said. “We are an ACT
state. To me, I think that’s a win
for students and schools.”
Some opponents of the Com-
mon Core standards, which
Oklahoma dropped, view the
ACT as a proxy for Common
Core. Nationally, other critics
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Sandy Graham
(580)4821221
skgraham@civitasmedia.com
CLASSIFIED ADS:
(580)482-1221
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(580) 482-1221
ADVERTISING
(580) 482-1221
past decade, a government watchdog said Friday,
raising alarms about the massive program just as it
approaches the brink of insolvency.
Many payments went to people who earned too
much money to qualify for benefits, or to those no
longer disabled. Payments also went to people who
had died or were in prison.
who truly need it most," said Sen. Orrin Hatch,
RUtah, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
A-F grading system for schools
when Gov. Mary Fallin signed
a bill Wednesday that requires
the state to evaluate the system
and make recommendations for
changes next year.
Hofmeister said the current
A-F grades are meaningless to
parents and punitive to school
districts.
“That’s something that's got to
be more of a flashlight and less of
a hammer,” she said.
A key question is how the
Legislature next year will view
the estimated costs of Hofmeis-
ter’s reforms. Other agencies are
competing for funds, and a state
income tax will take effect that
could reduce state revenue by
$50 million next fiscal year and
$100 million in subsequent years.
Hofmeister called the continu-
ing challenges a “self-inflicted
wound" because of tax cuts
that remain even as revenue for
appropriations has dropped. The
state faced a $611 million budget
shortfall this year.
“This crisis is going to take
more than four months to solve,"
Hofmeister said. “Now we have
the opportunity to work with the
Legislature to look for ways to
free up dedicated money."
A-F grades
The state took a first step
•Military Night
glickets S6.00 With
ones heading into the next school formance.
year. Hofmeister proposes replac-
When classes began for the
2014-2015 year, the state had
about 1,000 teaching vacancies,
she said. It’s still too early to
know how severe the problem
will be in the coming year, but
some districts already are report-
ing high vacancy numbers.
According to Tulsa Public
Schools’ website, the district has
230 current teacher vacancies.
Oklahoma City Public Schools
has 158 empty teaching posi-
Schools are closing, teacher
layoff notices have gone out
and class sizes will grow across
Oklahoma because of the state’s
Robert Welch, 64, of
Altus, passed away on
Friday, June 5,2015 in
Lawton. Services will be
held at 2 p.m. Tuesday,
June 9, in the Kincannon
Chapel at Kincannon
Funeral Home. Burial
Hot and humid weather is
predicted for Oklahoma in the
upcoming days. The American
tions, with the the number chang- question whether a single ACT
test can adequately replace tests
in various subjects.
Hofmeister said she also
increasing, enrollment is rising
and some districts are losing
local revenue because of a drop in regional average within five years
standstill education budget,
Superintendent of Public Instruc- appreciated, Hofmeister said.
| tion Joy Hofmeister said in an _------------mod —:
front steps of the State Capitol
for two consecutive years, seek-
ing more education funding and
pay raises. But each time, law-
Coming Soon:
Aloha
Altus Times
Civitas Media, LLC
(USPS 015-140)
Telephone: 580482-1221
ing four elementary schools.
“Districts are going to be mak- bring the length of Oklahoma’s
ing decisions that are cutting into school year to the national aver-
Heat safety tips
• Never leave children or pets
alone in enclosed vehicles.
• Slow down, stay indoors and
avoid strenuous exercise during
PUBLISHER:
Denny Koenders
(580) 482-1221
dkoenders@civitasmedia.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Michael Bush
(580)482-1221
fbush@civitasmedia.com
Red Cross has released important more often.
information and tips to remind • Avoid extreme temperature
the public of the steps they
should take to stay safe when the
temperatures rise.
“With all of the summer activi-
ties starting to take place and
flood victims still working on
cleaning out their homes, we
want to make sure that people
take their heat precautions,” said
Ken Garcia, a spokesperson for
the American Red Cross. “These
tips for heat safety should not be
taken lightly as heat related ill-
ness can be deadly.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Social Security overpaid In all, nearly half of the 9 million people receiving
disability beneficiaries by nearly $17 billion over the disability payments were overpaid, according to
the results of a 10-year study by the Social Security
Administration's inspector general. Social Security
was able to recoup about $8.1 biDion, but it often
took years to get the money back, the study said.
“Every dollar misallocated is a dollar lost for those
Diane Beach at 471-8061, at 6 p.m.
or any of our volunteers Altus Masonic Lodge
to place your order. No. 62 will hold it’s
Altus Masonic Lodge monthly pancake break-
No. 62 will hold a School fast on June 20. AD you
of Instruction on Wednes- can eat pancakes and
day, June 10 at 7 p.m. Fel- sausage for $5 Dine-in or
lowship will be at 6 p.m. carry out. 7 to 11 a.m.
The ALTUS 12th MAN Captains Joseph and
CLUB is holding a garage Betty Price, Salvation
sale fundraiser on Satur- Army Directors, have
Pitch Perfect 2 (PG13)
Sat.-Sun.: 2:30, 4:45
Daily: 4:45, 7:30, 9:45
Entourage(R)
Sat.-Sun.: 2:00, 4:30
Daily: 4:15,7:00, 9:30
Tomorrowland (PG)
Sat-Sun.: 1:45, 4:15
Daily: 4:15, 7:00. 5:30
Poltergeist 2D (PG13)
Sat.-Sun.: 2:30
Daily 9 30
Poltergeist 30 (PG13)
Sat-Sun. 4:30
Dally: 4:30, 7:30
likely to be affected by the heat. move them to a cooler place,
San Andreas 2D (PG13)
Sat.-Sun.: 445
Daily: 7:15
San Andreas 3D (PG13)
Sat-Sun.: 2:15
Daily: 9:45
Spy (R
Sat.-Sun: 2:15, 4:45
Daily: 7:15,945
inakdious Chapter 3 (PG13)
Sat.-Sun.: 2:1 5, 4:30
Daily: 7:15,9:30
The American Red Cross releases heat safety tips remove or loosen tight clothing
1 r and spray the person with water
or apply cool, wet cloths or tow-
els to the skin. Fan the person.
If they are conscious, give small
amounts of cool water to drink.
Make sure the person drinks
slowly. Watch for changes in
condition. If the person refuses
water, vomits or begins to lose
consciousness, call 9-1-1 or the
local emergency number.
Heat stroke is life threaten-
ing and signs include, hot, red
skin which may be dry or moist;
changes in consciousness; vomit-
ing; and high body temperature.
Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency
number immediately if some
shows signs of heat stroke. Move
the person to a cooler place.
Quickly cool the person’s body
by immersing them up to their
neck in cold water if possible.
Otherwise, douse or spray the
person with cold water, or cover
the person with cold, wet towels
or bags of ice.
The Red Cross advises that
you can also download the Red
Cross First Aid App at redcross.
Altus Masonic Lodge the hottest part of the day. the affected muscle and replen- org/apps to get access to life-
No. 62 will hold a • Take frequent breaks if work- ish their fluids with a half a glass saving information on what to
School of Instruction on ing outdoors. (about 4 ounces) of cool water do for common, everyday first
Wednesday, June 17 at 7 • Use a buddy system when every 15 minutes. aid emergencies.
p.m. Fellowship wiD be ' working in excessive heat. If a person is exhibiting signs There are also steps and infor-
• Check on family, friends and of heat exhaustion (cool, moist, mation for pet owners to keep
neighbors who do not have air pale or flushed skin, heavy their furry friends safe during
conditioning, who spend much of sweating, headache, nausea, diz- hot weather,
their time alone or who are more ziness, weakness exhaustion),
bone,” Hofmeister said. “Case age, Hofmeister said,
in point, closing schools in Law-
ton." Testing
Despite the setbacks, Hofmeis- Hofmeister said she favors a
ter said she will push her agenda moratorium on state-mandated
again next year. That includes
addressing an ongoing teacher
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Bush, Michael. The Altus Times (Altus, Okla.), Vol. 116, No. 280, Ed. 1 Sunday, June 7, 2015, newspaper, June 7, 2015; Altus, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2185810/m1/2/?rotate=90: accessed July 17, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.