Why a new high school would go to northeast Odessa if it passes and how students from other counties who come to school at Ector County ISD are funded was covered in Superintendent Scott Muri’s Wednesday media call.
Ector County ISD purchased 100 acres at Yukon and Faudree roads in 2015 for a little more than $2 million for a future school. There is also a contention that the district overpaid for the land.
Muri said he couldn’t speak to that but that the board made the decision in 2015 and he doesn’t know what the land values in that area are today.
In two separate propositions, the $398 million bond includes a new comprehensive high school, technology upgrades, a career and technical education center and maintenance and lifecycle repairs.
Proposition A for $215,255,000 includes maintenance and lifecycle repairs/replacement for school buildings at a cost of $130,255,000. This includes various projects for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire and life safety, and others at schools and auxiliary buildings.
Also, construction of a new Career & Technical Education Center for $70 million. This would include classroom and lab space for programs like welding, construction, health science, automation and process technology, HVAC, plumbing and others. It would enclose an estimated 150,000 square feet and include furniture, fixtures and equipment.
Muri said at a town hall Wednesday night hosted by Ector County Commissioner Mike Gardner that the CTE location decision has not been made yet and it is up to the school board.
Classroom technology upgrades ($15 million) are also included. This would be classroom and/or campus audio, a visual and multimedia refresh or additions.
Proposition B for $183,000,000 includes a new comprehensive 6A high school designed for 2,500 to 2,800 students with about 400,000 square feet. It would also include furniture, fixtures and equipment.
“We hired a demographic firm (Davis Demographics) to help us understand and better visualize the future growth potential in our community; where will people be moving to in Ector County? How are we growing, and where are we growing?” Muri said. “The demographer that we hired conducted a study and we used that study to inform the decision-making process and the study indicates that the northeast portion of our community will be the fastest growing area of Ector County, and specifically be an area that will contain a large number of students.”
“Boards of education are responsible for the construction of new schools and the placement of those. We typically build schools in places where children and families live, so the most populous area, not only today but in the future where people are moving to, is the northeast corner,” Muri added.
Additionally, the demography study showed that the southwest portion of Ector County is also growing.
“But it isn’t growing as much as the northeast. The bond committee proposed that we build two high schools, but our community was really clear (that) we need to keep the dollar amount under $400 million. Therefore, only one school at this time has been proposed and that’s in the most populous area …,” Muri said.
On student funding, Muri said a new law was passed in the most recent legislative session aligns school funding across Texas.
“… The money follows the child, so when a student and we’ll say that lived in Midland County, attends school in Ector County, the dollars follow that child. In ECISD, we receive a little over $9,000 to educate a child so when a student from Midland comes into Ector County to attend school, the money follows that child. Those dollars flow into the general fund and we have the dollars necessary to educate that child,” Muri said.
He said there are about 150 students from Midland County that attend ECISD schools mostly at the elementary and middle schools.
“It is actually a benefit when students from other communities move into, or attend school, because that again increases the amount of money that we have to serve … all of those students,” he added.
There are also students who live in Ector County and go to other counties, such as Midland County, to attend school and those dollars follow those students, as well.
“We also do not allow students to attend ECISD schools if there is no space available. The only time a student from outside the district can attend school is if there is space available within that school through the transfer process,” Muri said.
On a separate topic, he said, the district received an award from the United Way, the Dick and Amelia Saulsbury Award was presented at the most recent board meeting to ECISD.
“We’re very grateful to the Saulsburys and to the United Way for that award. It recognizes the significant contributions that the employees of Ector County ISD have made to the United Way. In fact, our employees contributed over $75,000 to the United Way this year alone. So we’re grateful to all of our employees that certainly give back to our community and very appreciative of the United Way for honoring ECISD in such a manner. That certainly is appreciated by the many staff members that are part of that annual campaign in ECISD,” Muri said.
The next joint redistricting task force meeting will be at 5 p.m. May 9.
Muri said the committee could finalize a recommendation and that would have to be taken back to the respective boards for approval.
Every 10 years, a census is conducted nationwide and political districts have to look at the results and make any political boundary changes.
