Ector County ISD Superintendent Scott Muri and members of the board of trustees talked to about 18 people interested in the vacant District 7 spot Tuesday at Blanton Elementary School.
Another meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Nimitz Middle School.
The application deadline for trustee is Friday.
Submit both resume and cover letter to be received by the end of the day June 3. Email to [email protected] or mail to Attention: ECISD Superintendent, 802 N. Sam Houston Ave., Odessa, TX 79761.
Trustees will review applications from June 6 through June 14.
On June 14, trustees will decide on a pool of candidates to interview. Candidates will be notified with the details of the interview process.
On June 21, trustees will interview and select a candidate potentially to take action to fulfill position 7. The interviews will be in closed session and the board will vote in open session.
Muri said whoever is appointed June 21 will take the seat immediately, but will have to run in May 2023 and again in 2025, which would start their regular four-year election cycle. Potential candidates are required to live in District 7 and when they apply, Muri said their address will be checked.
Muri, Board Vice President Steve Brown, Board President Tammy Hawkins and trustee Chris Stanley reviewed the roles and responsibilities of board members and the process for filling the spot.
Toni Hardesty said she got a letter in the mail and she is interested in helping out the community and hopefully being on the school board.
“It all sounded really great. I didn’t really have any questions, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Hardesty said.
Richard Reyes attended the meeting because he was curious. He reached out to Hawkins and she told him the town hall meeting was Tuesday.
“It is interesting to see how a group of six people have authority to make decisions as far as schooling goes …,” Reyes said.
He added that it was also interesting that the superintendent manages and the board governs, but they are interdependent.
Muri said ECISD serves 32,000 students and growing. Next year, officials anticipate 33,500 students. Sixty-two percent of students are living in poverty and Muri said that has grown by 5 percent in just one year.
Vice President Steve Brown said being a board member takes up about 18 to 30 hours a month.
Brown has been on the board for 10 years and worked for the district in a variety of roles for 35 years.
Board President Tammy Hawkins said she has been on the board for three years.
“This is a true opportunity to see the great things that are happening …,” Brown said.
The role of school board is governance and the role of the superintendent is management, Muri said.
The school board’s roles and responsibilities:
>> Adopt goals and priorities and monitor success.
>> Adopt policies and review for effectiveness.
>> Hire and evaluate the superintendent.
>> Adopt a budget and set a tax rate.
>> Communicate with the community.
Muri said he provides updates on how things are going.
Every other year, the Texas Legislature passes laws and part of the work of the board is to create policies from those laws, he added. Policy is the way the board governs.
Trustees don’t have power individually, but collectively they do.
The role of a trustee is to:
>> Ensure that a shared vision and goals are adopted for the district.
>> Ensure that systems and processes are in place to accomplish the district’s vision and goals.
>> Ensure progress and accountability to goals by allocating resources and support and establishing ongoing feedback and progress measures.
>> Advocate on behalf all students to enable them to be successful.
>> Work effectively as a collaborative team member with fellow board members and the district superintendent.
Muri also reviewed how school boards make decisions.
>> They can take action only by a majority vote at a legally called public meeting.
>> Individual board members major responsibilities to the decision making process are:
>> To study issues facing the district.
>> Evaluate needs and resources.
>> Vote in the best interest of all students at such a meeting.
Muri adde that trustees should know their content and information prior to the meeting so they’re ready to make an informed decision.
Most of the time votes are at a regular meeting, but the board sometimes votes on action items at workshops.
Workshops are used mainly for discussions of district business.
Brown worked for ECISD for 35 years in a variety of roles from teacher and principal to working at central office. Brown said it was refreshing to see so many people at the town hall because sometimes no one steps forward to run.
Brown also serves on the board of directors of the Texas Association of School Boards.
Brown noted that being on the board is an unpaid position, but it’s rewarding in that you can give back to the community.
“It will change your life,” Stanley said. “you’re going to walk in with one opinion and you’ll walk out with another …”
He added that you have to be open and willing to listen.
Brown added that trustees must go to meetings prepared.
Muri said the board process lasts all year. They always approve the budget in June and the tax rate in September.
