How are bond projects progressing? How are partner schools performing? Board receives updates

The Ector County ISD Board of Trustees held its November Board Meeting on the 18^th. A recap of the agenda is below.

1.     Roll Call. Bob Thayer was absent.

2.     Verification of compliance with open meetings requirements.

3.     Avie Lopez and Itzayana Figueroa from Dowling Elementary led the pledges of allegiance.

4.     Minister of Mobilization Ty Coke from Odessa Bible Church gave the invocation.

 

5.     The special presentations included recognition of College Board Honorees from Odessa High School; announcement of this year’s top United Way of Odessa fundraisers (Pease Elementary $1,721, Crockett MS $2,254, Odessa HS $6,123, and the Human Capital Department $1,620); and the introduction of the Permian High School Band officers after the band qualified for the UIL State Marching Contest for the fifth year in a row.    

 

6.     In opening comments, Superintendent Dr. Keeley Boyer recognized Executive Director of Leadership Julie Marshall for being honored as a Heritage of Odessa Community Statesman for Education; she talked about the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Ag Farm which will take place on Thursday afternoon; and she reminded everyone that school is out all of next week for the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

7.     There was no public comment.   

 

8.     Bond 2023

 A.     Bond Update:

The presentation began with an overview of the construction projects that are underway, the delivery method being used for each, and contractor, architect, and consultant leading the work.

      At the new CTE facility, site fill is in progress as is foundation excavation, site sewer system work is ongoing and foundation placement has started.

      Work on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing are ongoing at the new Vasquez Middle School. Blockwork around the fine arts area and some interior finishes in a specific area are underway.

      Demo work continues and the official groundbreaking ceremony was held last Thursday for the Transition Learning Center.

      The Permian High School Auditorium renovation is awaiting fabrication of ceiling joists; foundation concrete has been poured, foundation rebar and footers are in place, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work are continuing.

      The footings, leveling, and foundation work are complete for the PHS JROTC facility. The design in being fabricated off-site and materials samples are under review.

       At the Ag Farm, demolition has begun, fencing is in place for Building Phase A, and a groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for this week (November 20).

      The new Transportation Center is in the design phase.

      Eighteen (18) buses have been ordered and 17 have arrived. Those include three lift buses for wheelchairs, two 48-passenger buses for special needs, two activity buses, and ten 71-passenger yellow buses.

      There are ten (10) packages of Priority 1 & Priority 2 projects (other than roofing projects) that are either underway or scheduled over the next two years.

      In regard to roofing projects, four are nearing completion (Burleson, Fly, Travis, and Zavala) and five others are in design and planning (Noel, San Jacinto, Cameron, Crockett, and Ector).

      Checking in on the technology projects, cabling is complete for 32 campuses for the PA, Bell, Alarm, and Clock Refresh. Eleven are completely done. Surveillance cameras have been installed in 29 campuses with Ireland, Reagan and Ross next on the list. Members of the ECISD police department are receiving training on managing the live camera feeds on the new Security Operation Center Video Wall.

      In the finance update, about 22% ($89.3 million) has been spent, about 45% ($189.6 million is encumbered for specific projects), and about 33% ($145.1 million) is remaining.

Be sure to keep up with the progress at www.ecisdbond.com.

 

B.     Trustees voted 6-0 to approve purchases over $50,000 related to Bond 2023. This is a very long list of 27 items this month. To view the full list see the board meeting agenda - https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1406?meeting=714529.

 

C.     Trustees voted 6-0 to name Renee’ Earls and John Landgraf to the naming committee for the new career and technical education facility. The makeup of this committee is spelled out in policy CW (Local) with the school board required to appoint two members. The rest of the committee will be three (3) parents and three (3) community members selected by the District Continuous Improvement Team and two (2) members of the Education Foundation Board.

 

D.    Trustees voted 6-0 to delegate authority to superintendent to negotiate and execute individual job orders for Bond 2023 Priority 1 & 2 construction.

 

 

9.     Board Policy

A.     Trustees voted 6-0 to approve TASB Update 126. This is a list of 27 policy recommendations from the Texas Association of School Boards all made to bring current local board policies into alignment with changes in legal policy from the most recent legislative session. You can view them all at the link provided below in agenda item #14.

 

 

10.  Action Items

A.     Trustees voted 6-0 to approve the annual financial report. Every school district is required to prepare annual financial statements, have them audited by an external public accounting firm, and submit them to the state. The auditor, Whitley Penn, issued a Clean/Unmodified Opinion meaning a report with no internal control findings related to the financial report and no findings related to compliance. This is a very good report for ECISD and comes one month after our District received an A on the state’s FIRST report (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas).

B.     Trustees voted 6-0 to approve a resolution casting votes for Mari Willis and David Dunn as members of the Ector County Appraisal District. The resolution split ECISD’s votes evenly between the two.   

 

 

11.  Trustees voted 6-0 to approve the Consent Agenda. The consent agenda is a group of routine, or previously discussed items presented together for a single approval vote. This month’s Consent Agenda included minutes of meetings; bills for payment; acceptance of donations over $10,000*; the quarterly investment report; a Memorandum of Understanding with Texas Tech University; a Student Data Privacy Agreement with TCASE Services by Design; annual retainer agreement for Special Education legal services; personal services approval for Michael Hawley for Music Region 6 executive committee; library materials recommendations; retainer for bond construction legal services; and LASO Cycle 4 Grant application.

 

12.  Report/Discussion Items

 A.     Trustees heard the annual update on the performance outcomes of schools that are Senate Bill 1882 Partners with ECISD. SB 1882 was a bill designed to promote innovation and improve student outcomes. The District partner manages the school and is responsible for outcomes, has autonomy over personnel, curriculum, calendar, assessments and budget. The District holds each partner accountable through a performance contract.

ECISD has two partners: STEM Academy which is grades K-12 and became a partner in 2022, and the Odessa Family YMCA Learning Center, a PreK-3 campus that became a partner in 2021. Both agreements outline a series of performance measures for Academic Performance and Financial Health.

At STEM, students exceeded 8 of 10 academic goals and met all 4 financial performance measures. Bright spots include the school maintaining it’s A rating from the Texas Education Agency, achieving 100% graduation rate for the Class of 2025, 97% of graduates reached College, Career, or Military Readiness measure 579 dual credit courses completed with 98% pass rate and more than 800 new student applications showing high demand from community. Strengthening Math instruction in grades 3-8 is area identified for growth.

The YMCA exceeded both of its academic goals and met 5 of 5 financial performance measures. Bright spots include the highest enrollment numbers yet, surpassed new increased target goals for Circle Literacy testing, and establishment of PreK3 program showcase through informational tours. Key opportunities for growth are increasing efforts to reach bilingual families, making the application available in the Choice School early lottery, and filling enrollment to capacity.

 

 

13.  There was no closed session. 

14.  Information items - https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1406?meeting=714529    

15.  There were no closing remarks.

16.  The meeting adjourned at 8:06 p.m.  

 

 

*$15,350 from Conoco Phillips for 2025-26 Odessa HS astronomy field trip & telescope incentive

  $13,174 from Nimitz MS Athletic Booster Club-Nickie Wilkins for flooring replacement in boys weight room

  $12,300 from Permian HS Baseball Booster Club for shade awning for right field bleachers