Skip to main content

Alton HeadStart Update

Image
By
As reported this morning, the Alton HeadStart was damaged after severe thunderstorms last night. The sheet metal on the older part of the building was sheered off due to high winds. After initial inspections, it appears that three of the classrooms received most of the damage from the storm. Damage to other parts of the building are still unknown. Rain water formed bulges in the sheetrock. Maintenance crews had to poke holes in the ceiling paint to allow the water to trickle down. Inside the classrooms, most of the contents got wet. Crews took out the rugs and furniture from the rooms after insurance adjusters inspected the damage. As in most cases where there is moisture introduced into the interior of a building, mold will be something to prevent while making repairs.In the meantime, with the possibility of more rain tonight, repair crews have covered the damage with a plastic sheet and will resume repairs in the morning. There is no verification yet, but it is initially reported that the contractor who installed the roof did not use the customary screws used to secure metal roofs, choosing staples instead. Confirmation of this report is still pending.
 
There are questions about what to do with the staff at the Alton Headstart. Due to the unexpected event, graduation of the pre-schoolers is on hold and possibly canceled. Officials do not foresee that the school will reopen any time soon. Teachers were counting on the two weeks before end of school to catch up on end of year reports. With the empty classrooms, the teachers will have time to finish their paperwork. The question then is, what to do with the staff for the remainder of the time? One thought is to use them as substitute teachers as needed throughout HeadStart. Given that this sort of incident is not encountered by the organization on a regular basis, many questions are up in the air until questions about how to fund the situation are resolved. Towards the end of the year, HeadStart always faces a budget crunch. There is concern that not having the Alton children in class for the remainder of the school year will affect the program's funding. Any shortfall will not doubt affect next year's crop of pre-schoolers.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fall 2024 in the RGV

By
It's that time of year again when Winter Texans start to make their way south from the northern states. I have already had phone calls with a Winter Texan client who is getting ready to come down. I think it is fascinating that we can make friends from people who are visiting only seasonally.  Looking at the blog stats, I seem to get a peak in traffic every year. So I suppose it must be partly due to many of our friends coming back from up north.  Image generated by Gemini 1.5 Pro AI Speaking of seasons, we still have a couple of months to go before the end of hurricane season for 2024. We have been fortunate this year, compared to other parts of the USA. Although, south Texas could use the rain.  This time of year makes me happy as we finally have nights that are below 78F like we had all summer. This week we have had mornings in the 60s. While we still have hot days in the 90s, we at least get some respite in the evenings, leading to cool mornings.  Returning to RG...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Mad Mexican

By
Years ago, there used to be a DJ at B104, a local radio station. Until recent years, B104 had a large audience. They played pop music. The Mad Mexican used to do the morning show with Gary Rodriguez, who is now involved in McAllen politics. Well, the Mad Mexican is still working, but on a national level. I heard him this morning on Aguila, XM 92. Aguila is the Mexican music station on XM Satellite Radio. It's great to hear from him again. He's still pretty wild. Gary Rodriguez? He worked for 107.9 for a while before going to KURV and then entering politics.
2 comments
Read more

Join the 2010 Democrat Candidate Forum on Texas Democratic Women

By
Texas Democratic Women Of Hidalgo County Hidalgo Co. Tx Dem Women Hidalgo Co. Tx Dem Women has invited you to the event '2010 Democrat Candidate Forum' on Texas Democratic Women!   Please save the date! Don't forget to take a friend. Time: February 16, 2010 from 6pm to 9pm Location: STC Pecan Campus Administration Building Auditorium Organized By: Hidalgo Co. Tx Dem Women Event Description: Come and meet the Candidates for 2010 elections. This event is open to the public. Presented by: The Hidalgo County Texas Democratic Women and Stonewall Democrats of the Rio Grande Valley. ...
Post a Comment
Read more