Trustees approve new principal for Ross Elementary, new chief of student & school support

The Ector County ISD Board of Trustees held its April Board Meeting on the 21st. A recap of the agenda is below.

1.     Roll Call.

2.     Verification of compliance with open meetings requirements. Wayne Woodall was absent.

3.     Weston Lenz from the 18+ Transition Learning Center led the pledges of allegiance.

4.     Pastor Grace Kim from First Presbyterian Church gave the invocation.

5.     The special presentations featured the recognition of Reagan Elementary 5^th grader Naithik Yankarla for qualifying for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May; the introduction of the Destination Imagination team from Hays STEAM Academy that qualified for the state competition; the announcement of this year’s Career & Technical Education (CTE) students who qualified for state contests and the introduction of two who advanced to nationals; the recognition of the Venom robotics from the STEM Academy that advanced to the state competition; and the announcement of several state awards won by the Odessa Student Crime Stoppers program (seen below). Note: photos of each of these presentations can be seen on our Ector County ISD Facebook page.     

 

6.     In opening comments, Superintendent Dr. Keeley Boyer reminded Trustees there are big events coming up the next two weeks with the AVID Celebration and the Awards for Excellence student awards banquet. This kicks off a busy time of celebrating the end of the year.

7.     There was no public comment.

8.     Bond 2023

A.     Bond Update:

At the ATLAS Career & Technical Education Center, structure steel has started going up; sewer, electric, plumbing, and foundation placement are all in progress, and some masonry has begun.

Vasquez Middle School is really taking shape with interior finishes ongoing in the education wing, kitchen, and library. Work on the athletics fields is in progress. It will be completed by July and ready for opening in August.

The Permian High School Auditorium is also nearing completion. Interior drywalling and painting, exterior concrete work, stage extension, and wall paneling for the concourse are all on-going. The exterior MOJO sign will be remounted this week.

The Transition Learning Center is scheduled for completion in September. Underground electric and plumbing are in progress and the concrete slab is expected to be poured this week.

Metal panels are going up at Permian’s JROTC facility. Exterior brickwork is nearly finished; with electric, HVAC, and insulation all ongoing. This project is slated to be complete in June.

At the Ag Farm, both main foundation slabs have been poured. Demolition is complete, and excavation for network infrastructure lines and conduit has started.

Core samples have been taken and analyzed for the geotechnical report on the new Transportation Center site. Those are being reviewed.

Looking at Priority 1 and Priority 2 renovation/replacement projects: abatement began in March for Cameron, Sam Houston, Reagan, and Ross elementary schools; electrical work was completed at the Alternative Center; and plumbing exploration scopes were done at Bonham Middle School.

In reviewing the bond finances, a little less than one-third of bond funds ($131 million) remain available at this point. The other funds have either been spent or are designated for specific projects and purposes.

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

 

B.     Trustees voted 6-0 to approve an amendment to the professional services agreement for Parkhill for the Permian High School Auditorium.

 

9.     Action Items

A.     Trustees voted 6-0 to approve purchases over $100,000. The items on the list this month are for replacement kitchen equipment for School Nutrition and integrated pest management services.

B.     Trustees voted 6-0 to approve budget amendment #7.   

C.     Trustees voted 6-0 to approve a project with Complex Community Federal Credit Union to create a fully operational credit union branch inside Odessa High School. Students will be able to gain hands-on experience through internships/work study programs, exposing them to careers in banking and finance, and enhancing financial literacy. There is no cost to the school district.   

 

10.  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; donation over $10,000*; recommendations for library materials; personal services for Yvette Abila; out-of-state travel for Permian High School BPA to attend national conference; certification of provision of instructional materials survey 2026-27; services agreement with PlayLab; and a resolution for ECISD vehicle cameras grant program 2027 through the Criminal Justice Programs Grant).

 

11.  Report/Discussion

A.     Trustees received an update on their continuing education requirements.

 

12.  Trustees moved to closed session to discuss contract renewals for administrators, teachers and other professional support employees; the hiring of a principal for Ross Elementary, and the hiring of a chief student & school support officer.

A.     Trustees voted 5-0-1 to approve contract renewals for administrators, teachers and other professional support employees. Bob Thayer abstained. 

B.     Trustees voted 6-0 to approve Amanda Anderson as the principal for Ross Elementary. Ms. Anderson is currently serving as the interim principal at Odessa Collegiate Academy after beginning the year as a principal intern at Ross. She has three years of experience as an assistant principal and participated in the Holdsworth Aspiring Principal Academy leadership training. 

C.     Trustees voted 6-0 to approve Jessica Redman as the chief student & school support officer. Mrs. Redman worked in ECISD as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal and principal (elementary and middle school). She then served as an executive director of leadership in Midland ISD and most recently as vice president of schools for IDEA Public Schools.

 

13.  Information items can be found at this link - https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1406?meeting=736952    

14.  There were no closing remarks.

15.  The meeting adjourned at 7:14 p.m.  

 

 

*$10,000 from the Education Foundation of Odessa for title sponsorship of the Awards for Excellence.