Tuesday night, the Ector County ISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to extend the contract of Superintendent Dr. Scott Muri for one year, through June 2028. School board president Chris Stanley said after the meeting, “We are pleased with our district’s academic growth and the visionary leadership he has brought to our schools. By voting to extend his contract, we are sending a strong message of support regarding the direction of our district.”

Since being hired in July 2019, Dr. Muri has guided Ector County ISD to new milestones, launched innovative projects and put ECISD in the state and national spotlight for its work. Under his leadership, Team ECISD:

• Earned a B rating from the Texas Education Agency in 2022, its highest rating ever
• Graduation of 85.5% is the highest in more than 20 years
• Demonstrated continuous improvement in STAAR (improving passing rates in 12 of 15 tested areas in 2023) and End of Course exams (improving passing rates in 5 of 5 tested areas)
• Increased College Career & Military Readiness from 56% to a new high of 73%
• Established a high-impact tutoring model, using outcomes-based contracts, leading to above-average growth for many students as they came out of the pandemic school closures. This work has been the subject of several national news stories
• Expanded prekindergarten from a half-day program to a full-day program for four-year-olds and developed an innovative partnership with the Odessa Family YMCA to create a half-day program for three-year-olds
• Increased Kindergarten Readiness percentage by 24 points
• Became the first school district in the nation to partner with SpaceX to provide satellite broadband internet service to students and staff in remote areas of Ector County
• Now provides free breakfast and lunch for every student, every day
• Developed 13 talent pipelines for recruiting, retaining and rewarding teachers, principals, counselors and diagnosticians
• Highest starting teacher salary in the region at $60,600
• Reduced teacher vacancies from 350 to 36 through strategic human capital innovation and design
• Using strategic compensation systems, created an environment in which teachers can earn more than $100,000 annually
• Through a generous grant from the Permian Strategic Partnership, ECISD teachers can pursue National Board Certification at no charge while receiving personalized coaching and support
• Increased minimum wage for hourly employees by more than 50% to over $15/hour
• Earned over $55 million in philanthropic support to expand strategic initiatives

Dr. Muri serves public education throughout the State of Texas and nation in his roles at the Vice Chairman of the State Board for Educator Certification, member of the Texas Broadband Development Office Board of Advisors, and member of the Board of Directors for Chiefs for Change. He has been invited to testify numerous times before the Texas House and Senate as well as the United States Congress.

“Thank you,” Dr. Muri told school board members after they unanimously approved his contract extension. “It is nice to look back and see what Team ECISD has accomplished, but the real excitement is to think about what’s yet to come. There is much to do as we continue to improve outcomes and opportunities for our students.

“I appreciate this Team of 8 [the seven trustees and superintendent] and the work we do together. We know that when we, the Team of 8, are united, our school district thrives.”