Opinion

Poll: Most Texas teachers consider quitting

More than three-fourths of Texas teachers say they have seriously considered quitting the profession largely because of a perceived lack of respect and support, according to a new survey by the Charles Butt Foundation. Excessive workload and inadequate pay were other major reasons that teachers are considering leaving, The Dallas Morning News and other media outlets reported.

THE LAST FEW YEARS at Fall Foliage Festival, Therese and I have opened Hill Crest for people from other towns to tour. It is totally different from The Citadelle, and people enjoy the house and our backyard.

We have a problem, though. The problem is that about a block down the street, there are very weird signs saying, “There is a killer among us.” Visitors want us to explain what is going on. Who are they? Do a lot of people in Canadian get killed? Is Canadian not a safe place? Are we in danger?

LONE STAR ANGEL PROJECT (LSAP) is a local nonprofit organization established several years ago by a group of remarkable community women who saw a need to help the children of Hemphill County. Their view was simple: to level the playing field for all our kids and to provide basic needs for those children whose families were struggling financially. Through donations, LSAP has provided clothing, food, payment of medical care, mental healthcare, dental care, and vision care to numerous children in Hemphill County. These are kids who would otherwise miss meals, sit in class unable to concentrate because of a toothache, attend school without a coat on a freezing day, or struggle to cope with life issues due to mental health problems. Some families are left to choose between groceries or paying for an eye exam, dental exam, or medical visit. LSAP hopes to alleviate some of that burden for our local kids.

DURING THE MOST EXTREME weather periods, energy is a life-critical resource. Unfortunately, many Panhandle families continue to struggle with energy affordability, in some cases, putting their lives at risk or forcing people to make choices between things like medicine or food or paying their utility bills. The CEAP (Community Energy Assistance Program) provides help to vulnerable Texans by assisting with some energy costs for those most vulnerable in our community, especially in times of crisis.

FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, The Record has collected used, but still useable, eyeglasses for an organization called “New Eyes for the Needy.” Readers of our former publisher and co-editor Nancy Ezzell’s Petticoat Patter column were regularly reminded of the service, and urged to bring their glasses by our office—and many responded. Eventually, the stockpile of glasses would begin to overflow the box they were kept in, and we would wrap them all in newspaper for mailing, secure the box with strapping tape, label it and ship it.

AFTER ATTENDING ONE OF Rep. Ken King’s meetings to “solicit feedback from his constituents on the issues they felt vitally important before the upcoming (88th Texas Legislative) session,” several thoughts come to mind.

A TROUBLING DEBATE has dominated several meetings of Canadian’s City Council over the last two or three months. It has focused, for the most part, on the city’s growing list of infrastructure needs, and how to grow enough city revenue to build some reserves and begin funding these projects.

I was curious, so I asked Roger Estlack, who along with his wife, Ashlee, publishes the Clarendon Enterprise, how their community of approximately 1,810 citizens managed to build a new swimming pool. To be honest, I knew the story, because I had read it in their fine newspaper, and followed that project from its infancy. How did it start? Why, it started in the Clarendon Enterprise, with a column written by the publisher’s son and cub reporter, Ben. Roger was kind enough, when asked, to provide a few, succinct details: 1. Cub Reporter in 2016 writes about how great the pools are in Wellington and Pampa and how nice it would be if Clarendon had one. Several weeks later, the mayor mentions this column when announcing to a small group of civic leaders that he has been approached by an anonymous donor offering $500,000 towards a pool if the community can match it.

ON LABOR DAY, WE HONOR the achievements of America’s workers, and in 2022 we have a historic victory to celebrate. Our nation’s working people have come all the way back from the depths of a global pandemic, regaining every job lost and more.

BY GARY BORDERS Flooding prompts disaster declaration Heavy rains through Texas last week caused flooding, particularly in the Dallas area, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to issue a disaster declaration for 23 affected counties.