School board meets with CRSS for training session

The Ector County ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve redistricting “Plan 7-A” Tuesday evening at a special meeting at the Administration Building board room. Board member Fay Batch was not present.

Plan 7-A will move an area with a population of 1,385 people from district 4, represented by board president Tom Pace, to district 3, represented by Dr. Donna Smith. Federal law requires that states redistrict once every 10 years if populations in districts become too unequal.

“The primary reason we chose 7-A was that fewer people would be involved in moving districts than in Plan 7-B,” said Tom Pace, board president of the ECISD board of trustees.

Had the board voted against Plan 7-A in favor of Plan 7-B, draft plans would have had to be redrawn completely because the redistricting plan needs approval from the Ector County Hospital District, Odessa College and the ECISD Board of Trustees. OC approved Plan 7-A on Aug. 30, and the hospital district also approved the same map Tuesday.

ECISD trustees had met for more than two hours Tuesday morning for a training session with Center for Reform of School Systems, a provider of training programs and consulting services for school district leaders.

Julian Treviño, a San Antonio-based governance solutions trainer with CRSS, led the meeting, which was broken into four sections: “institute review,” “core beliefs and commitments,” “theory of action” and “next steps and feedback.”

“The work you’ve done to prepare was good, and there were not a lot of nits I could pick,” Treviño said as the meeting began.

The board of trustees is participating in a 13-month program with CRSS. Their next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 1, where they will discuss “theory of action,” which Treviño said “is what turns an aircraft carrier around. This is what changes the system.”

ECISD Superintendent Hector Mendez said the board has benefited from CRSS’s help, which is paid for by a private grant.

“CRSS gives the board perspective on its role in terms of what we were elected for, which is oversight and to provide direction,” ECISD Superintendent Hector Mendez said. “We are developing structures and processes and have a sense of teamwork

During Tuesday’s meeting, Treviño offered feedback concerning board meeting and committees procedures, constituent service, management oversight and core beliefs and commitments. Together, Treviño and the board edited a list of their core commitments.

School board trustee Fay Batch said CRSS has ushered in major improvements for the board.

“It’s helped the board to come together as a working group. When we realize why we’re really here,” Batch said.

@OdessaAmerican