Super gets extension, raise

Diboll schools superintendent Brent Hawkins received a contract extension and a raise at the Diboll school district's monthly meeting Jan. 22.

Hawkins received a $5,000 pay boost, bringing his annual salary to $100,000, he said. Otherwise, trustees heard numerous reports, including one on the district's facilities plan, which Hawkins said anticipates the district's needs over a 15-year planning period. The district does not have a growth crisis, he said, as the district lost a few students this school year from last year.

Hawkins said over the past decade, enrollment has ranged from a high of 2,000 to as low as 1,800. The most notable changes in student population are a spike in Hispanic enrollment and a sharp, recent growth is economically disadvantaged students, an increase he said has occurred among all demographic sub-groups in the district. As recently as October, 70.5 percent of the district's students were listed as disadvantaged. This has increased to 73 percent this month. Statewide, about half of all students are economically disadvantaged.

Hawkins said district staff is quite proud that the district continues to outperform state academic standards despite the nonschool challenges faced by children living in distressed circumstances. Diboll High School was a "bronze medal" winner in a recent U.S. News and World Report magazine listing of outstanding campuses, and the district recently won recognition from the Texas ACI' council for students' high performance on that college admission exam.