County health services seeking state grant - Page 2
TJ Birria Y Mas showed why it's quickly becoming a Stafford staple. Read the review inside on Page 8. (Photo by Stefan Modrich)
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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 45 • No. 48
Despite the fact the Stafford MSD Board of Trustees voted in May to shrink the district’s staff amid talk of budget concerns, Superintendent Robert Bostic says the district is in a better fiscal position now and hasn’t actually reduced the number of full-time staff. The district did, however, eliminate some administra-
Bostic tive positions, Bostic said. District leaders in May
had been concerned because they received projections that the student enrollment might decline by more than 300 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and moved to reduce staff in order to fix a possible future budget crunch, Bostic explained last week. Even at the time, the district had a healthy fund balance of about $14 million, but wanted to make a longterm fix, Bostic said. “If you’re pulling money
out of a savings account, it isn’t regenerated,” Bostic said. “Normally you might use that for one-time costs, such as a capital outlay. But if you’re trying to pay salaries, that’s every year.” But now, those worst fears don’t seem likely to come to pass, and the district has received some outstanding federal money that should cover the difference and state law should force students back into classrooms for the upcoming school year,
Bostic said. Essentially, school districts’ funding in Texas is, in most years, determined by its average daily attendance, which is a calculation for the attendance of an average school day and separate from the total number of students enrolled in a school district, according to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Because the coronavirus
SEE SMSD PAGE 7
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County vaccine program stokes controversy By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend County commissioners last week signed a $345,000 contract with a Houston-based firm to provide coronavirus vaccine outreach, a move that didn’t pass without controversy. The measure passed in a divided 3-2 vote, and a divided group of residents took more than 30 minutes early in the meeting to speak against or in favor of the decision. “I question why we need to spend $345,000 on this particular effort, since we’re already doing an outstanding job,” said Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, before voting in opposition. “And it’s my personal policy not to vote to give money to a firm that is a political operative.”
Attendees at Horizon Baptist Church hold signs to attract community members to the organization. The church’s leaders say they have gone to great lengths to see what younger people want out of a faith community. (Contributed photo)
Faith organizations adapt to pandemic, changing ideals By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Horizon Baptist Church has a long history in Fort Bend County. First founded as Bellaire West Baptist Church, it became Heritage Baptist Church when leaders bought land and moved it to Missouri City about 20 years ago, according to Cindy Reaves, the church’s communications director. At its height, the church drew more than 300 congregants to a Sunday service, said John Strader, the church’s senior pastor. But in recent years, those numbers have been closer to 100 people.
David P. King, a professor of philanthropic studies and the director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. “Why do faith communities need to gather in-person if they haven’t for a year or more?” King asked. “Those that are thinking about that personal relational connection, or how they minister or engage their local communities may have a leg up in succeeding over others.” Only 47 percent of Americans reported belonging to a church, synagogue or mosque
SEE FAITH PAGE 7
Eviction moratorium’s end worries some in Fort Bend By Matt deGrood MDEGROOD@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
SEE VACCINE PAGE 7
Having attended the church during its heyday, Strader took over as senior pastor in 2019 and got to work trying to understand what had happened. “We slowly realized the message we have to share with the community wasn’t necessarily hitting home with those we were trying to reach,” Strader said. Churches and other faith organizations across Fort Attendees gather at Gurdwara Sahib of Southwest Bend County and the coun- Houston for a Sunday service. (Photo by Matt deGrood) try are emerging from the pandemic in a fairly unprec- the faithful in the 21st century. Christian churches, were seeedented position. Lockdowns But the pandemic also ing before 2020. and other restrictions forced has exacerbated many of “Post-pandemic, questions many of them to bring their the trends of declining atten- of engagement (online or in services online and adapt to dance numbers that religious person) are key issues for conthe technology demands of organizations, particularly gregations to consider,” said
Business is booming and crowds are beginning to gather as more and more people are receiving the coronavirus vaccine, but those Fort Bend County organizations and advocates for the most vulnerable residents are still waiting for the storm to arrive. An onslaught of disasters in recent years, including
the COVID-19 pandemic, February’s winter storm and tropical weather has left many county residents still living on the edge, according to several local organizations dedicated to housing and rental assistance. And soon, the federal eviction moratorium will elapse – a move that could lead to a sizeable uptick in people without homes or apartments in Fort Bend County, said Vera Johnson, the executive director of Fort
Bend Family Promise, a nonprofit organization meant to provide temporary housing and assistance for families in need. “Yes, absolutely, I’m concerned,” Johnson said. “There are subsets of homeless. Some are because of domestic violence, but then you have others that are because of evictions. A lot of these people are dealing with
SEE EVICTION PAGE 7
Vera Johnson, who leads Fort Bend Family Promise, is worried about a possible rise in evictions after the federal moratorium lapses. (Photo by Matt deGrood)
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