Parent involvement

Amy Russell made a decision six years ago that changed her life.

Her choice allows her to volunteer in her children’s education and also helps shape the future of Ector County Independent School District students.

The 36-year-old mother of two left her 12-year career as an internal auditor for the Odessa-based travel agency, OneTravel Inc., to volunteer and start substituting in her children’s school, Dowling Elementary.

After her first year volunteering by helping make copies, answering phones and filing records, Russell became interested in doing even more.

She joined the school’s PTA.

“That really was my big hook,” she said, adding that she now serves on ECISD’s Council of PTAs as its information officer.

More recently, Russell and others on the council wrote a letter to ECISD administrators last fall asking for the district to define and detail parental involvement in a written policy for ECISD parents by the end of the current school year.

Kelly Koepp, ECISD Council of PTAs president, said the council wants a policy to outline parental involvement programs and detail a plan for implementation.

Koepp said parental involvement shouldn’t end when children leave elementary school — besides, it’s legislated.

A written policy could reach more people, she said.

Koepp and Russell said they appreciate the current ECISD administration asking council members’ opinions on various educational issues. It shows that the administrators care about their input, Russell said.

But if the interim ECISD administration changes, Russell said, the council’s input may not be sought as readily.

Fay Batch, who’s served on the Council of PTAs locally for six years, agreed.

“We need a policy that will stand regardless of any of the people involved,” Batch said, noting new administrators may not be as in tune with PTA and its programs.

ECISD interim superintendent Hector Mendez said parental involvement isn’t new to the district, which has policies and programs, like the Family Leadership Institute, devoted to parental participation strategies.

“In my mind, that’s already in place,” he said, noting he didn’t recall the council coming to him requesting the written parental involvement policy.

Mendez said he works on developing ways to ensure parental involvement at the schools himself, and it requires constant attention.

Batch said the policy is vital to the city and its development in providing better academics to ECISD students by going beyond the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test and preparing a greater professional workforce.

“It’s not just about passing TAKS tests,” she said. “It’s about making sure our community can continue to grow and thrive.”

Batch, who joined the ECISD board of trustees in November, said she hasn’t been as heavily involved with the council as before, but she believes a written policy is necessary and the implementation would need to include everyone’s input and suggestions.

“We think that it’s important enough that we’re asking for that conversation,” she said.

Russell, who also chairs the Volunteers in Public Schools program, said when she decided to leave her career to volunteer at Dowling it was an easy decision.

“My children were more important,” she said. “I felt being a part of their education was more important than keeping an 8-to-5 job.”

Batch said having a written policy for parental involvement is crucial to student success because parents act as a child’s first teacher and that role continues throughout a student’s academic career.

The effort just needs a nudge in the right direction to get started, she said.

“We will ultimately bloom out and have everybody see how important this is,” Batch said.