School district superintendents resigned and a new one was named to the post in Krum, while a lone finalist was selected for the top education job in Argyle in 2008.

Three school districts and six area campuses failed to meet federal No Child Left Behind standards, while districts locally and across the state passed deficit budgets and called for tax-rate elections to keep their districts afloat amid rising operational expenses.

The Denton school district voted to build a second early childhood education center and named its first employee child-care center after a former board member.

Enrollment reached new heights at local colleges and universities. The University of North Texas looked at options for a new campus hotel and landed a government contract worth more than $6 million.

Here’s a recap of education in 2008.

New school leaders

After serving six years as Krum’s school superintendent, Troy Hamm resigned in January, citing a desire to spend more time with family. The school board approved his resignation and he resigned in June, making way for Alpine district Superintendent Mike Davis to be named lone finalist for the position in April and take on the job last summer.

In Argyle, Dr. Telena Wright, acting superintendent, was named to the interim post one month after the resignation and departure of former Superintendent Jason Ceyanes in May. The board started its search for a new superintendent that summer and Wright entered the race along with 45 others for a chance to be named the district’s next superintendent. In November, the board interviewed three finalists and during a special board meeting in December, Wright emerged as the lone finalist for the job.

No Child Left Behind ratings

Final scores for the Adequate Yearly Progress, an accountability rating system based on federal standards done by the Texas Education Agency earlier this month, let its preliminary scores from October stand, citing that the Ponder, Pilot Point and Sanger school districts and three campuses apiece in Denton and Sanger failed to meet criteria set in the No Child Left Behind Act.

The districts and campuses failed to meet requirements due to low performance scores on Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exams administered to special-education students.

Early childhood center

Denton school board members unanimously voted in July to use any additional funding for early childhood education to build a new facility without making any changes to the district’s current facility, the Ann Windle School for Young Children. With a total of $8.5 million in bond interest earnings and $8 million in funds approved in a 2004 bond for a second facility, the district plans to build a more than $16 million structure.

Child-care center named

Eight months after announcing she would not run again for her Denton school board seat, colleagues of Virginia Gallian in November unanimously voted to name the district’s first employee child-care center after her, citing that she pioneered the project.

The $2 million facility is scheduled to open next month adjacent to the Ann Windle School on Audra Lane. Rudy Rodriguez ran for Gallian’s seat unopposed, and in May was sworn into office.

School district budgets

Attributing a rise in expenses and the way the state’s formula works for funding individual districts, five area school districts — Sanger, Denton, Aubrey, Argyle and Krum — passed deficit budgets for the 2008-09 school year.

Ponder school officials passed a balanced budget while the Lake Dallas and Pilot Point districts sent voters to the polls in October to approve a school tax increase. Eighty-four percent of Lake Dallas residents approved a 13-cent tax increase to provide pay increases for teachers and cover rising operational costs.

In Pilot Point, the vote to raise taxes by 9 cents passed by five votes. Pilot Point used the additional revenue for pay increases for teachers and administrators and to pay rising operational costs.

College enrollments

College campuses in Denton exceeded a combined enrollment of 50,000 for the first time during the fall semester. Enrollment increased by 5.5 percent at the Corinth campus of North Central Texas College, while Texas Woman’s University and the University of North Texas followed with increases of 2.9 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively.

Proposed UNT hotel

After six months without a full-service hotel, UNT started to review in November proposals from six hotel developers and operators regarding the school’s call to bring a “first-class,” full-service hotel to campus.

The request was sent out to 60 local and national companies regarding methods of financing, designing the overall project and seeking suggestions for developing the site that lies on 10 acres on the south side of the frontage road off Interstate 35E, west of North Texas Boulevard. A final decision on a developer and operator is expected to be made Jan. 1.

UNT lands contract

UNT scientists received a $6.36 million government contract in October to study causes of jet engine failure and to develop durable, lightweight engine materials.

UNT recognizes legends

The UNT College of Music had a concert in November to recognize and say farewell to prominent jazz instructors Neil Slater, a conductor of the One O’clock Lab Band, and Jim Riggs, a bandleader of the Two O’clock Lab Band, who both recently retired.

Material from the Denton Record-Chronicle archives was included in this report.

BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is btabor@dentonrc.com.