Ector County ISD trustee Nelson Minyard was honored for his nine years on the board during Tuesday’s meeting with the Extra Mile Award.
Minyard is moving out of town. His term expires in 2025 and he serves in Position 7.
Mike Atkins, the attorney for ECISD, said the board could order a special election to fill the vacancy or appoint someone through a process.
Atkins said anyone that is appointed will serve until the next election cycle, which would be May 2023. If that person chose to run, or anyone else chose to run, they would fill a term from 2023-2025.
Beginning his tenure in 2013, Minyard was part of the board that opened three new elementary schools and additions to Odessa and Permian high schools financed by the 2012 $129 million bond, Superintendent Scott Muri said.
He and other board members went through tough financial situations, Muri said.
In 2018, a tax ratification election passed that raised starting salaries for teachers, which are now $57,000. Campus security was improved and buses also were acquired, among other things.
“Good things have happened for kids in our community because of your service,” Muri said.
He added that Minyard has a heart for students and he has a genuine desire to serve the needs of the community.
“Don’t leave public education. Continue to serve wherever you are planted,” Muri said.
His fellow board members applauded his commitment to students.
The board approved permission to negotiate a contract for more than $50,000 with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company for job embedded coaching.
It is a three-year contract at a cost of $420,000.
Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Lilia Nanez said they will begin with 10 F-rated elementary schools. The goal is to have job embedded coaches go into the classrooms from kindergarten to fifth grade and they will model, observe and provide feedback to teachers.
The teachers will be selected by campus principals to engage in this coaching.
“As we learn through this process, then we will expand. We’re paying for the actual face-to-face coaching sessions …,” Nanez said.
The proposal is for seven to 10 observations and feedback per campus. Nanez said they are hoping for seven visits this spring per campus to an undetermined number of teachers. She said it will all depend on campus need.
Board member Delma Abalos said the district has been working a long time to get out of failing schools.
“So I want to see exactly what we’re doing and what we’re getting out of this contract for $420,000,” Abalos said.
The board also approved adding days to the summer learning program. Nanez said this does not impact the regular academic calendar.
