By Dr. Scott Muri
One of the great things about the school district’s bond campaign has been the opportunity to meet with so many people throughout Ector County. I hear universal agreement that good things are happening in this community and we are poised to emerge from the pandemic and thrive in the new wave of industry, innovation and growth. These are things to celebrate.
Today, in this space, I want to celebrate a particular group of people. People who are the key to our success as a school system and as a community. Our teachers.
Next week, May 2-6, is National Teacher Appreciation Week, and I invite you to say thank you to a teacher. Send a card, a short note, an email or just say ‘thanks.’
The number one at school influence on a student’s achievement is an effective teacher. To build great students we must have great teachers. In ECISD, we are proud of our classroom leaders. The number one at school influence on a student’s achievement is an effective teacher. To build great students we must have great teachers. In ECISD, we are proud of our classroom leaders. We are committed to investing deeply in them – be it raising the starting teacher salary from $44,000 to $57,000 in the last four years; implementing strategic staffing models that pay teachers significantly more to take on leadership and coaching roles without leaving the classroom; implementing the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) which will pay highly successful teachers up to $20,000 in incentives for student academic growth; and partnering with Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP) to pay for teachers to pursue the prestigious National Board for Professional Teacher Standards certification, which improves teacher quality and pays a stipend.
It is because of these investments, good things are happening. Things like: kindergarten readiness has increased 13% in one year; SAT Day scores jumped 40 points and surpassed the state scores by 15 points; College, Career & Military Readiness (CCMR) rose by 6 points to 63%; and our graduation rate is at its highest in 20 years.
Over the next two weeks be on the lookout for teacher celebrations. We are going to surprise the two ECISD Teachers of the Year with special deliveries. At our Awards for Excellence, each student will honor their favorite teacher. We will announce our TIA recipients, and there are many all across ECISD. And will treat all of our campus Outstanding Teachers to a relaxing afternoon celebration.
Great teachers mold and shape the future, the future of Ector County. Be sure to thank them this week and every week for they are noble.
Muri is superintendent of the ECISD.
