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Kaufman County agriscience office asks commissioners to fund part-time 4‑H program assistant
Summary
Agriscience staff requested one part‑time program assistant to help deliver labor‑intensive 4‑H classroom and hands‑on programs across growing school districts; estimated all‑in cost about $27,000 per year, with a base salary cited at $23,064.
Tommy Phillips, an Agriscience Extension representative, asked the Kaufman County Commissioners Court on June 11 to restore one part‑time program assistant to the county 4‑H staff to support school‑based programming across Forney, Crandall, Terrell, Kaufman and Maybank.
Phillips told commissioners the office previously had three program assistants and that losing one position contributed to a 26.6% drop in their school curriculum arrangements year over year. “There is only really 1 ask that we're asking for, and that's to put in a, a program assistant in our 4 h program,” Phillips said. He described the position as part time — about 20 to 25 hours per week — and said the salary base the office used in its request was $23,064; with Social Security and retirement included the all‑in cost would be roughly $27,000.
Phillips and colleagues said the additional staff time is needed for labor‑intensive classroom activities such as the “hatchling in the classroom” and water‑cycle demonstrations, plus to serve new and expanding campuses in the county. He added that Terrell has reorganized curriculum staff and that added workload has further stretched Agriscience resources.
No formal vote or budget action was recorded during the presentation; commissioners asked questions about part‑time hours and benefits and expressed general support for life‑skills programming.
Phillips said the office will continue to work with county budget staff to refine the request for inclusion in the county budget cycle.
Key numbers and next steps: the presenter cited a base salary of $23,064 for the program assistant and estimated an all‑in annual cost of about $27,000 once payroll taxes and retirement are added. Commissioners did not take formal action at the meeting; the item will be included in subsequent budget discussions.
