By the Rev. Dr. Dawn Weaks
In May, our second child will graduate from ECISD. We are so thankful to be the recipients of a public school education for both of our kids. I know that families choose private schools or homeschooling for various good reasons. Still, our public school system’s role in improving the quality of life and securing the future of students in Ector County is without parallel. It is the lifeline to education and many other resources for 32,000 students in our county. That’s why I am a member of a group called Pastors for Texas Children which seeks to unite clergy in support and advocacy for our public schools. We believe it is a moral imperative to support our community’s schools. Whether you are an incarcerated child, a pregnant teen, a budding musician, a highly intelligent young person, a student in need of special education services, or some combination of these, public schools serve you. They are the only institutions who bear the responsibility of educating all kids.
Our elected, volunteer school board has asked our community to show support for our community’s kids by approving two bonds. Proposition A if passed would update all of our schools and give needed infrastructure to our booming career and technology programs. Proposition B if passed would relieve overcrowding in our high schools by building a new 6A high school. Both of these propositions together would cost about $12 more in property taxes monthly per $100,000 property value. People over the age of 65 and of course renters are not required to pay. I hope these efforts at investing in our children will pass handily.
But I am concerned because misinformation about our public school district seems to be proliferating as our community debates how to vote on these bond requests. I will be the first to agree that our schools need improvement! There is much work to be done. But many of the arguments against the bond are not updated with current information about what is happening in our school district. For example, some say we have a teacher shortage so there is no point in building new buildings. In 2018, we did have 358 teacher openings. However, currently 51 teacher openings exist in our district. This is a testimony to the dedication of our teachers who have served during a very difficult pandemic. What we now have is not a shortage of teachers but a shortage of space for teachers. Currently 38 classroom teachers do not have a classroom in our high schools. They have to “float” using a cart, which is not an easy way to be effective.
I am also hearing false rumors about ECISD not managing funds well. I can only speak to the last eight years that I have been involved in volunteering with our district. I served on the superintendent’s advisory council and on the Tax Ratification Election task force to oversee the funds given to the district by the TRE. Every dollar the district gained was spent purchasing new buses, increasing teacher pay, fixing roofs, and enhancing security in our schools. I watched it carefully with my own eyes.
Furthermore, there has been much discussion about where a new high school should go. We do indeed need two new high schools. Only one is within financial reach currently. Odessa’s northeast is where the 2020 census identified the most growth happening currently. If you have not driven out there recently, please see it for yourself. I hope we are able to do another bond within five years to put a new high school on the west side. Meanwhile, we must serve the students in any way we can.
Our school district and most importantly our kiddos need your help. We cannot keep the status quo and expect educational improvements to continue. Our kids and their teachers need more support from this community. Though my kids have already benefited from ECISD, I consider all the kids of Ector County “my” kids. I hope you do too.
The Rev. Dr. Dawn Weaks is pastor of Connection Christian Church.
