Some recommendations

Recently the Ector County TSTA/NEA broke new ground by endorsing several candidates for the contested school board positions.  I want to point out that our members are teachers, administrators and paraprofessionals. They are also mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers. In other words, we comprise not only a very good cross section of the community; we represent the ECISD family.

While we have always tried to interview candidates and urge members to get involved, the fact is that few voters take the time to attend forums to learn about the candidates and their positions. Our event was attended by about 50 members of the public. I was told that a second event had about 35 in attendance. We made the decision to let others know what we had learned and the reasons for our recommendations.

Over the past two months, Ector County TSTA/NEA has been actively working to determine which school board candidates will best serve the interests of our ECISD community, not only the interests of teachers, but the interests of all ECISD employees. We began the process by appointing a committee that sent the candidates a series of questions on issues they felt were important to ECISD. We followed this up by meeting individually with each one of the candidates to explore the answers in greater depth. Finally, we held a public forum, attended by every one of the candidates, where they fielded a number of questions drawn up by the committee as well as several more that were submitted by the audience. To further serve the voters, the forum was also taped by ECISD channel 10 and will air 22 times leading up to election day.

We are proud to have had the opportunity to provide voters with all of this information, and wish to express our gratitude to ECISD for making the taping possible so that many others could avail themselves the chance to hear the candidates speak.

After all of our work and study of the issues, we believe that this election is perhaps the most critical in recent memory. For far too long, the board has been a hotbed of conflict and controversy that has, in turn, produced a revolving door at the superintendent's office and provided little real direction. Now, more than ever, the district is in need of leadership that understands the educational process.

Let me also make it clear that our recommendations are not meant to demean any of the other candidates. It is not our intention to diminish anyone who is willing to take on such a thankless, yet critical public office. Indeed, we applaud everyone who is willing to stand up and offer their services to the community in a position that does not pay them a single dime and is often rewarded with hostility and derision by dissatisfied members of the community.

In Place 4, we recommend voters re-elect Doyle Woodall, who has not been afraid to stand up for the rights of district employees while advocating strongly on behalf of parents and students to ensure a first-class education is the end product in ECISD. We haven't always agreed with Woodall in every issue, but we are convinced that he will always reach his decision based on what he perceives to be in the best interest of our students.

In Place 5 our choice is Yollie Wilkins. Her 31 years of classroom experience in ECISD means there will be a very short learning curve for this dynamic leader. She will be ready to act on day one to restore the pride in ECISD. She understands the needs and concerns of teachers, and she is passionate about seeing that students receive the very best public education in the state of Texas.
Finally, in Place 7, Ector County TSTA/NEA recommends Donnie Norwood. Norwood also is a veteran of ECISD. In contrast to Yollie, however, he has spent a large portion of that time as an administrator serving for many years as a building principal before moving downtown where he served as director of technology until his retirement in 2005. This knowledge of how the district operates at so many different levels will add a dimension to the board that will help them see problems from a wide variety of perspectives.
It is with great pride that Ector County TSTA/NEA recommends these outstanding leaders. We have faith in their vision, trusting that under their leadership ECISD will chart a new and dynamic course that will truly make us proud to tell anyone in the state, "We're ECISD, the best school district in the state of Texas!"

Regardless of whether you agree with our choices or not, we urge every eligible voter to get out and exercise the right to participate in the democratic process. Our children are our future. Don't neglect them by neglecting to vote.

Chuck Isner
President
Ector County TSTA/NEA