La Marque Times (Newspaper) - February 17, 1988, La Marque, Texas Increase in charity health care slows at area hospitals By Staff Writer The amount of charity work performed at area hospitals fluctuated over the past but the overall level of indigent care remained about as high as the year The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston reported a million drop in the cost of charity care for county residents outside of Galveston last received more money from the county for indigent care in 1987 than in 1986. Galveston County pays a flat fee to accept patients who can't pay their bills at Jonh Sealy Charity work at Mainland Center Hospital fell to about million last year from 1986's high of but bad the largest part of that is on the Uncompensated care at AMI Danforth Hospital cost about more in 1987 than in 1986. That expense is expected to jump another million this And outpatient care at the Galveston County Health District's Clinic in La Marque climbed well past the 1986 From October 1986 to October 1987, provided million worth of services to the indigent of Galveston excluding the city of In the previous fiscal the for charity care ran to But in 1986, Galveston County's share of the cost was only LM schools join finance reform fray Turn out the the party's over By Staff Writer La Marque school trustees voted to join the Coalition for School Finance Reform at their regular meeting and Superintendent Dr. Mike Moses announced that La Marque High School students are earning more A's and B's this year joined the coalition to work to preserve local control of local taxing authority and the integrity of district boundaries in the wake of a recent Texas District Court Moses said A number of Texas school districts founded the Coalition for School Finance Reform after District Judge Harley Clark ruled the state's current school finance system Moses The judge agreed with 67 property poor school districts in the case Edgewood vs. claimed there were inequities in the present The judge gave the state until 1990 to come up with a new financing had curriculum now we're going to have finance Moses Moses agreed that some districts in East West Texas and the Rio Grande Valley are indeed but he said tax rates in some of these areas are also very That creates the he adding that local regardless of property must be considered in establishing a finance tax at of assessed property while a district in the Valley taxes at 44 cents and gets 80 percent state and federal The state now funds school districts according to the Price Differential a plan that considers the cost of goods in a local property values and five other Under that which Moses said is an average got million from the state this The Price Differential Index must be replaced by 1990 or the state will withhold all funds to local Since half the state's budget goes for public finance reform will be an when the state legislature meets next Moses radical that change could be is anybody's guess at this he Proposals to fix the school finance system include dividing the state into 20 forcing smaller school districts to and putting a or cap on wealthier Moses Any of these solutions could limit the authority of local he The coalition will pressure for promote local Moses and will join in that will be called upon to participate in workshops and seminars to draft proposals for the legislature to consider when they meet in Though finance reform is still a year or more Moses said many parents are already concerned about its The administration office receives calls daily from parents asking if their children will have to attend school in Texas City next Moses But after that we don't know what the state is going to Also Moses announced that 54 percent of the first semester grades in all high See Schools Galveston's fourth Mardi Gras grand night Saturday attracted an estimated 400,000 the largest crowd yet since the tradition was And for many devout today is Ash the day the party ends and the sacrifices of Lent Last the county paid a flat fee of million to send needy patients to Dr. Alvin Le vice president for hospital said the cost of charity care last year was much on track See Charity Page 8A Stolen goods found La Marque police Saturday recovered a stolen truck and a trailer load of furniture with a combined value of Police were told at 12:30 p.m. Saturday about a burglary in progress at 2010 Kansas When they they found a Ryder rental truck backed up to an abandoned Sgt. Dennis Macik said Inside the house were two rooms full of wicker Police Beat Macik said he learned Monday that the a 1978 freight liner valued at had been stolen in Irving on The truck was driven to where it was used to steal a trailer containing the valued at from a Pier 1 Imports he No arrests had been made by Tuesday but Webster police were seeking suspects in the Macik In other police reports last A Texas City man was arrested in La Marque Feb. 10 for possession of Police were called to the Pelican 312 Delaney when a man tried to kick down the door to a reports The man kicking the door was holding a police He got into a pickup where he was Police found two grams of valued at on the front seat of the Police charged Anthony Quinn 24, 6202 Opal Texas with possession of cocaine and unauthorized carrying of a reports Bond was set at and on the two and Merchant was to Galveston County See Police Page 8A Outgoing Chamber President Jimmy Rasmussen congratulates Texas City Mayor Emmett honored by the chamber as the year's outstanding * V i Wooldridge to head By Staff Writer La Marque resident Don Wooldridge accepted the presidency of the Texas Marque Chamber of Commerce and Sen. Phil Gramm said the area's future may be golden at the annual banquet and reception Feb. 9. In his acceptance who works for Kelso Building said becoming president of the Chamber is one of the biggest honors ever bestowed on Woodridge joined the chamber in 1964 shortly after he moved to the area with Southwestern Laboratories Inc. Wooldridge said Monday as chamber president he will help with the leadership of committees and meet with people on a day-to-day and year is going to be time and I'll give it as much time as is he is going along with that Some people might be surprised that a La Marque resident is president of the Wooldridge but he pointed out that past presidents Julia Oliver and George Bostick See Page 5 A Don Wooldridge
