Welcome to the ECISD Welcome Center; see what is new at Travis Elementary

The Ector County ISD Board of Trustees held its April Workshop on the 12th. A recap of the agenda is below.

1.     Roll Call. Delma Abalos was absent.

2.     Verification of compliance with open meetings requirements.

3.     In opening comments, Superintendent Dr. Keeley Boyer reminded Trustees of the end-of-year celebrations coming up in the next week or so. Thursday is Big Check Day in ECISD when teachers receive their Teacher Incentive Allotment designations, Friday morning are Employee of the Year announcements, and Friday night are the first two graduations ceremonies – Odessa Collegiate Academy at 6:00 p.m. and OCTECHS at 8:00 p.m. And there is more next week.

4.     There was no public comment.

 

5.     Trustees discussed revisions to board policy DEC(Local): Compensation and Benefits: Leaves and Absences. This recommended change would amend the current policy on payment for accumulated State Leave to allow a retiring employee with at least 30 years of consecutive service to ECISD (starting on or before September 1, 1996) to be paid for said State Leave at one-half the employee’s daily rate, to a maximum of 90 days. This impacts 115 employees today. Once the employee specified in this policy has received payment for accumulated State Leave the employee may not be reemployed in the District, as the State Leave days do not zero-out or go away, even after a pay out.  

 

6.     Report/Discussion Items

 

A.     Trustees received a report on the opening of the ECISD Welcome Center at Travis Elementary. The Welcome Center is intended to be a convenient, one-stop shop for parents when enrolling their students and seeking various wrap-around support services. The Admissions Office and the Community Outreach Center moved into the Welcome Center on April 27. Teen Parent Related Services will be relocating there, too, and there are plans for family engagement space and special services in the future. Part of the presentation was this video giving Trustees a look at how Travis Elementary will go on as an important piece of ECISD’s story. Travis Elementary was closed at the end of the 2023-24 school year due to low enrollment.    

 

B.     Trustees heard an update on the District’s efforts to find a partner to provide high-quality childcare in the new Welcome Center at Travis Elementary. A second part of the Welcome Center story is a proposed partnership with Toya’s Precious Jewels Academy of the Permian Basin to establish a high-quality childcare center at the facility. Trustees voted in June 2024 to allow the campus to be used for a purpose other than a district purpose specifically to seek such a partnership with a Texas Rising Star 3-or-4-Star Designated center that would benefit ECISD and our community. Statistically, several zip codes in Ector County are considered Childcare Deserts due to the lack of high-quality centers for the number of children ages 0-5 in that area. The proposed five-year lease would give Toya’s Precious Jewels Academy the northern wing of Travis with its own secure entrance. There would be no cost to the District.

 

C.     Trustees continued their budget discussions for the coming school year. An increase in revenue is projected, however, costs continue to rise. A look at 2026-27 projections shows revenue of more than $351 million offset by expenses of $358 million. If these projections hold true, it would leave the District’s fund balance at approximately $99 million or the equivalent of a 100 days of expenses. That is about 10 days above the state recommended guidelines. District leadership has taken a number of steps to reduce expenses like cutting departmental budgets by 20% and closing vacant positions. The revenue projections are based on student enrollment, average daily attendance, and tax collection rates remaining about the same as they are this year. The 2026-27 budget will be presented and approved in June.

 

7.     There was no closed session.

 

8.     There were no closing remarks.

 

9.     The meeting adjourned at 6:56 p.m.