Corpus Christi, you now have the Community Calendar in a 8 x 11 inch printable calendar.
Thanks to Wienerschnitzel, you can print out your Community Calendar and put it in your favorite folder for your next meeting.
With over 9 million hits already, the Corpus Christi Daily Community Calendar is your tool for planning your next meeting, fundraiser or dinner.
Try out the new print version today! Just go to the Community Calendar page and click on the "Print" button. Remember to turn on the "print background colors and images" option in your Internet browser software (example - Microsoft Explorer)
Again, thank you Wienerschnitzel for providing this service for the community.
The Corpus Christi Independent School District Board of Trustees has given Superintendent of Schools D. Scott Elliff a vote of confidence.
Board members unanimously approved a 3-percent base salary increase and
extension of Elliff’s contract until 2011.
Amendments to the contract followed the board’s annual review and performance evaluation for the Superintendent. Mr. Elliff’s original three year contract beginning April 30, 2007, and ending on June 30, 2010, was extended an additional year to June 30, 2011. The new contract includes a 3-percent base salary increase, which brings Mr. Elliff’s annual salary to $190,550. The 3-percent increase aligns with salary increases approved for all CCISD employees back in August 2007. In addition, board members voted to increase the allowance for an annual $10,000 annuity/tax deferral stipend to $15,000.
CCISD Board of Trustees named Mr. Elliff, Superintendent of Schools on April 30, 2007. As Superintendent, Mr. Elliff oversees an annual budget of more than $265 million, leads more than 4500 employees, and guides the learning efforts for 39,000 students served on 62 campuses.
Mr. Elliff returned to Corpus Christi ISD in 2005 as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, after eight years as a senior consultant with the Panasonic Foundation, working in urban school districts around the nation. He also served as founding executive director of Citizens for Educational Excellence, a local education fund serving six school districts in Corpus Christi.
Mr. Elliff also served as a teacher and administrator in the Corpus Christi ISD from 1983-1997. He was named Assistant Superintendent for Instruction in 2005 and Superintendent of Schools in 2007.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – APRIL 16, 2008– Children who are struggling in and out of the classroom are being given the tools to strengthen themselves and the world around them through a CCISD program that focuses on science and technology. Grande Communications® supports the development of this initiative and will present a check to the Innovation Academy for Engineering, Environmental & Marine Science for $4,600.00 from its Passion & Commitment Investment Club in which Grande employees donate a percentage of their salary. The presentation will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16, at Cunningham Middle School, 4321 Prescott Street.
The grant awarded by Grande will fund a videoconference system for the engineering program. With this equipment students will be able to engage with NASA and other engineering companies and universities nation-wide. Opportunities that would have involved travel and large expenses can now be easily obtained in the classroom.
“ Being a communications company, we are always looking for opportunities to narrow the digital divide within the community,” said Dottie Lane, general manager of Grande Communications in Corpus Christi. “ The Innovation Academy for Engineering is providing experiences for students that will not only aid them in their learning now but will set the pathway for their future and Grande Communications is privileged to support such a program.”
“The Corpus Christi Independent School District’s Innovation Academy for Engineering, Environmental & Marine Science is extremely appreciative of the support that Grande Communications and its employees provide to our students, parents and the community,” said Tina Dellinger, coordinator of the Innovation Academy of Engineering, Environmental & Marine Science. “We look forward to a long partnership with Grande Communications as the Innovation Academy continues to grow in student numbers each year. Providing young people an opportunity to pursue careers and college programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is impossible without the support of businesses like Grande Communications.”
Started in August of last year, the Innovation Academy for Engineering currently has students from the 6th and 9th grade levels enrolled. The program selects students who are underrepresented and offers them a different approach to learning. Students are led to achievement in their course work through increasing their understanding of the surrounding environment, developing their technological skills, and assisting with pursuing further education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
About Grande’s Passion & Commitment Investment Club
The P&C Investment Club is a company-matching, philanthropic program in which employees donate a percentage of their salary and time to charities that address basic human needs and services, or provide access to technology in the communities Grande serves. Since its inception, more than 50 percent of Grande’s employees have enrolled in the program and the P&C Investment Club has contributed more than $1 million to a variety of deserving organizations. To view a complete history of grants from the Passion & Commitment Investment Club, visit
www.grandecom.com/About/community_pc.jsp.
Headquartered in San Marcos, Grande Communications® is building a deep-fiber broadband network to homes and businesses from the ground up. Grande delivers high-speed Internet, local and long-distance telephone and digital cable over its own advanced network to communities in Texas. Grande's bundled service area includes portions of Austin, Corpus Christi, suburban northwest Dallas, Midland, Odessa, San Antonio, San Marcos and Waco. Grande also leverages its telephone and data infrastructure by serving enterprises and communications carriers nationwide with broadband transport services and network services. Grande’s voice network terminates traffic worldwide, offering both traditional and IP-based services; its managed modem network provides coverage nationwide; and its private line and metropolitan networks provide optical services in Texas and surrounding states. Grande’s 3,100-fiber-mile network incorporates SONET-based technology for protection, diversity and optimal performance.
State law requires appraisal districts to notify property owners about changes
to their property tax appraised value. The Nueces County Appraisal District began this
notification process last week by mailing more than 100,000 of these important notices to
property owners. About 30,000 more will be sent in subsequent weeks. The notices
show proposed 2008 appraised values. and include information on protest procedures.
Property owners are reminded that these notices ARE NOT tax bills; however, they
are important not only because of the notification and protest information, but also they give homeowners an opportunity to review and verify information shown on their appraisal records.
Property owners have the right to protest to the Appraisal Review Board (ARB) on
any disagreement with the district on their property’s value, exemptions, ownership,
equal and uniform appraisal and other such issues. Additionally, by law, property
owners, who have filed a protest, may ask the appraisal district to make its evidence
supporting its value assertion available to them not less than 14 days before a scheduled hearing. The district cannot use evidence at the hearing if it was not made available to the requesting property owner at least 14 days before the hearing.
The ARB is an independent panel of private citizens responsible for hearing and
settling protests from property owners who disagree with some action of the appraisal
district. The notice contains instructions on how, where and when to file a protest and a
protest form. The general deadline for filing protests with the ARB this year is June 2,
2008, or 30 days after an appraisal notice was mailed, whichever is later?
The property owner should carefully review the proposed value notice for 2008. It
should state the values of the “land” and any “improvements” separately. An
improvement doesn’t mean necessarily you have “improved” your property since the last
appraisal, it is simply a Texas Comptroller’s Office appraisal term that means a building,
structure, fence or any other type of fixture on or attached to the land.
The notice also contains current information on exemptions granted to the homeowner
on the property. If it doesn’t show your homestead exemption (HS), over 65 (OA) or any
other entitled exemption you have applied for and you think you should be receiving
now, contact the appraisal district to resolve the matter.
In addition to the tax relief provided by an exemption, homeowners who file and qualify for a homestead exemption also have a 10% increase limitation (cap) on their homes’ appraised value. This means that the district cannot increase their home’s value by more than 10% in any one year.
The notices also show “estimated” 2008 taxes, which are based on the new
appraised value and 2007 tax rates. Taxing units set tax rates in the fall so final tax
amounts may vary from these “estimated” amounts.
Property owners should check the property’s legal address using their records and the
owner’s mailing address to be sure there are no mistakes. The law gives responsibility to
property owners for informing the district of their correct mailing address.
Property owners, who do not receive a notice, and have questions or need current,
information about their homes’ value or exemptions, are encouraged to call or visit their
local appraisal district office.
The Nueces County Appraisal District Office is located at 201 N. Chaparral Street in
Corpus Christi. Interested persons may also call 881-9978, or visit the District’s website at (nuecescad.net) for more information.
