NEWS
Cell phones will be stored during BISD instruction day
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewonline.com
Trustees of the Bowie Independent School District spent more than three hours debating changes in the student handbook and new discipline matrix as they met Monday night.
Handbook policies
With school about to start, the district wanted to wrap up all of the addendums to the student and campus handbooks, as well as the employee handbooks.
Many of the changes related to updating any legalities stemming from changes in the law, but the board also addressed some topics that are often ongoing problems.
Student use of cell phones – After previous discussion, several trustees questioned why the policy did not clearly state no use is allowed during the instructional day, when that was the board directive.
Trustee Kent Dosch asked why each campus policy reads so differently, which could lead to various interpretations.
Assistant Superintendent Lee Ann Farris said each student group on each campus is different and they felt the word had fulfilled that. There have been recent incidents where phones were used to take inappropriate photos or video, and they want to eliminate those opportunities.
In one line of the policy a student was allowed to use the phone for a class related activity, however, it was pointed out they have laptops and computers from which they can work, so a phone is not needed.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The 2026 certified property values for Montague County were released to the 16 taxing entities for which it sets values and for Montague County the total numbers were up 3.591%.
With the arrival of these numbers, the taxing entities can begin serious work on creating their budgets and proposed tax rates. Last year the Montague County Tax Appraisal District had to create two sets of values pending the November homestead election so they were happy things were back to just one set.
Certified values are based on property sales made as of Jan. 1, 2026. Chief Appraiser Kim Haralson said the values held up well during the protest hearings, and while minerals went down some there were a lot of new properties added.
New taxable property totaled $87,505,775 for 1,208 properties. Haralson said people appear to be setting up manufactured homes on some of the two-acre tract subdivision and other subdivisions are seeing people start to build houses.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
It is going to be a tough budget season for the Bowie City Council as it works through a draft budget proposal that tries to figure out how to pay for major projects and maintain present operations for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
As per the city charter, City Manager Bert Cunningham presented the budget proposal to the council on July 14, emphasizing without the final certified property values, as well as the final health insurance rates, it truly is a draft. The city staff also await the final bid numbers for the Rock and Pillar drainage project hovering around $2 million with plans to fund it through the budget.
A budget workshop was scheduled for 6 p.m. on July 27 with a public hearing to follow on Aug. 11.
Cunningham said the certified figures may become available by the end of the week, but that is uncertain. Two months ago the city’s preliminary values were up $70,530,035 from the 2025 final values, however, usually the certified values fluctuate slightly from the preliminary numbers, which totaled $497,939,568.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
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