Bible class committee

Following a settlement in a federal lawsuit over ECISD's Bible class curriculum, many defendants and plaintiffs said a committee formed to develop a new Bible curriculum has a huge task in front of it.

However, both sides in the recently settled lawsuit had high praise for Ector County Independent School District interim superintendent Hector Mendez and his appointed committee.

ECISD trustees voted 5-1-1 Wednesday to approve a settlement document - developed by mediator Hesha Abrams, plaintiffs, defendants and attorneys for both sides - to allow the district to form a seven-member committee of educators to create a new curriculum for its Bible course by June 1.

Mediator Hesha Abrams said many of the plaintiffs and defendants went into the mediation process in January with different viewpoints and she had to "stop it" early on.

It was the various approaches both sides took that made the process seem like a "big fight," she said.

Abrams, of Abrams Mediation & Negotiation Inc. in Dallas, said a draft proposal for a settlement included allowing non-educators to serve on the committee appointed by both plaintiffs and defendants but that was changed in the final version of the settlement document.  

Abrams said she formulated the final version and defendants and plaintiffs were able to agree to have educators appointed by ECISD district administrators serve on the committee.

"These are professional educators, so they should be able to do this," Abrams said of the committee.

HOW TO BUILD IT

As part of the settlement, the committee may use any existing curriculum as a resource in developing a new curriculum. The new curriculum must use a parallel or mutlitranslation Bible as the text for the course.

The curriculum must also align with new state legislative requirements under the Texas Education Code passed in 2007 calling for school districts across Texas to evaluate their current Bible curriculum before the 2009-'10 school year and to offer a Bible course if students have a specific demand for the class.

The committee must present a proposed Bible curriculum to ECISD trustees by June 1 as part of the settlement.

Plaintiff Doug Hildebrand said if trustees don't approve the curriculum presented, then it's possible the board could drop the course.

Many defendants and plaintiffs said they trust ECISD interim superintendent Hector Mendez and the committee he's appointed to develop a new Bible curriculum.

Board president Carol Gregg said the committee will have to cobble together a curriculum with portions of different programs.

"They'll have to look at what's out there and put something together," Gregg said. "I've been told that they feel like they can do it."

Gregg said she hasn't been a part of any conversations on how much it would cost to develop the curriculum.

Trustee Doyle Woodall said Mendez told trustees the committee could have a curriculum ready by the deadline.

"I'm going to take his word for it," he said.

Plaintiff Lori White said she also trusts Mendez to help the committee reach its goal.

Abrams said Mendez was impressive throughout the mediation process, and the district should be in good hands.

"Under his stewardship, the school district is going to do very well," Abrams said.

BIBLE LITERACY PROJECT

ECISD formed a Bible Curriculum Committee in October 2005 to review possible curricula. In November 2005, the committee had a public meeting to gather input and a majority of speakers favored the Bible Literacy Project.

In December 2005, the committee recommended both the Bible Literacy Project's textbook and one by the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools. Later that month, trustees voted 4-2 to adopt the NCBCPS curriculum.

Sheila Weber, vice president of communications for the Bible Literacy Project, said the textbook wasn't made available in schools around the time the ECISD committee made its recommendations to the ECISD trustees.

"We were brand new, and it seemed that because we hadn't really been used in schools yet. That may have been one of the reasons we were not chosen even though the committee recommended us," Weber said.

The Bible Literacy Project has been successful since it started being used in schools in fall 2006. The curriculum is now used in 179 high schools in 37 states, including California, Illinois and Alaska, she said.

The curriculum for the Bible Literacy Project text took five years and $2 million to create, Weber said, noting time was spent writing the content and seeking permission for artwork.

But a majority of the time, she said, was gaining feedback from religious leaders and scholars from across the country to add in with the text's final editing.

According to the Bible Literacy Project website, 40 scholars and religious leaders reviewed the book, which was edited by Cullen Schippe, former vice president and publisher for music, religion and social studies at Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, and Chuck Stetson, founder and chairman of the Bible Literacy Project.

THE COMMITTEE'S TASK

Hiram Sasser, a Liberty Legal Institute attorney who helped represent ECISD in the suit, said the committee could pull resources and materials from Bible curriculums, including the NCBCPS, to develop the curriculum, and that the job wouldn't be a difficult.

"It's not that big of a deal at all," he said. "They have all these other curriculum materials to use."

Trustee Dr. Ray Beaty said the committee doesn't have an easy task in front of it, noting he wasn't sure the members had enough expertise in developing curriculum.

Beaty said ultimately the board would have to watch as the committee develops the curriculum and to ultimately approve the end result.

"It'll be our responsibility to - once it's put together - to be sure it's what's best for our district," Beaty said.

While some may see the committee's charge as a large task to complete by June, Mendez said the job is part of the role of educators.

"It's work," he said. "In this business, there's always work."

"We are always having to respond to different things. Will this take time? Yes, this will take time. Will this take manpower? Yes, this will take manpower. I'm confident that it's going to get done."

Mendez said the teachers on the committee bring expertise in their particular content areas.

He plans to meet with the members soon to discuss a timeline for development of the curriculum.

He said he didn't know how much creating the curriculum would cost the district until a time frame is established.

"There's going to be a cost," he said. "I just can't tell you what that's going to be at this time."

Sasser said as part of the settlement the committee will decide on a whether the Bible course should have its own type of monitoring system in the classroom or keep it under a general monitoring mechanism.

PLAINTIFF INPUT

The settlement document gives plaintiffs 30 days from the time the committee receives its charge to submit suggestions to committee members.

White said she's already made some suggestions to Mendez about the curriculum development, and she's confident in his choices in committee members.

"I trust his judgment," White said, noting she hopes he takes into consideration her comments.

ECISD parent and fellow plaintiff David Newman said he also plans to offer comments.

Hildebrand said he'd like to see an objective curriculum developed and that many people in Odessa have an interest in what the committee comes up with.

"It won't be just the plaintiffs watching, but it will be the whole community watching what they do," Hildebrand said.

WHO'S ON THE COMMITTEE?

>> Angela Love, 37, a 12-year educator who works in the history department at Permian.

>> Joni Vincent, 52, a 16-year educator who serves as the curriculum coach at LBJ Elementary.

>> Elaine Smith, 48, an 18-year educator who serves as a supervisor in the ECISD special education department.  

>> Brandon Cook, 35, a nine-year educator who teaches eighth grade at Bonham Junior High.  

>> Caroll Skaggs, 62, a nine-year educator who teaches science at Bowie Junior High.  

>> Todd Vesley, 47, a 22-year science teacher and coach at Permian. He's the Permian boys' gymnastics coach and dual-sports and girls' sports athletic coordinator.

>> Morris Petty, 55, a 22-year educator and a world traveler who teaches World Geography at Nimitz Junior High.