OHS indoor facility

Trustees heard plans Tuesday from a collaboration of Odessa High supporters, faculty and coaches who hope to raise funds for and build a $1.5 million 200-by-214-foot-long indoor athletic facility.

OHS athletic coordinator Ron King told trustees the school needs the facility to better prepare the student athletes for games and contests and that it would allow all athletes to take advantage of an indoor training experience.

"We need some space to allow our kids to compete," King said.

Milton Thompson, the science department chairman and a former coach, said the facility would be built with private funds and donations and then be presented to ECISD as a gift, which any OHS student could use whether on the football team or a band member.

"This would provide an outlet that can be used the whole day," he said following his presentation to the board.

Betsy Rhoades, a 1975 OHS graduate, said the fund-raising efforts have been dubbed "Broncho Drive For $1.5" and mail-outs have been sent to football season ticket holders, booster club supporters and other community members.

In other business, trustees unanimously approved to raise elementary lunch prices by 30 cents to $1.75 and secondary campus breakfast to $1 from 85 cents and lunch prices to $2 from $1.75.

Tonya Tillman, assistant superintendent for business operations, said ECISD hadn't raised meal prices since the 2003-'04 school year, but due to rising costs, it was necessary to request the increase now.

ECISD school nutrition director Terry Gooch said the district goes through 4.5 million pouches of milk per school year, and within this school year the price per pouch to ECISD went up from 23 cents each to 33 cents each.

Trustees also unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with the University of Texas of the Permian Basin to start a Math Plus Summer School Migrant Enrichment program.

In addition, trustees unanimously approved an interagency cooperation contract with UTPB to continue the Summer Bridges Program, which debuted last summer to give high school juniors and seniors a better understanding of college life through a weeklong summer camp on the UTPB campus.

Trustees unanimously approved a pay increase for retired teachers who substitute in ECISD schools from $75 to $105 from Tuesday to Thursday and from $75 to $115 on Mondays and Fridays to test out a pilot program trying to encourage more retired educators to substitute in the district.

Prior to the vote, Shelia Collins, an ECISD substitute of 10 years, and Dale Arnold, a certified substitute teacher of 20 years in ECISD, addressed the trustees and said the district's longtime substitutes aren't getting paid for their tenure even though their duties as substitutes are the same as a sub who's a retired educator.

"It seems as though we are the stepchildren of the educational system," Collins said.

According to ECISD's Human Resources department, degreed teacher substitutes currently receive $75 a day while nondegreed teachers get $60 a day.

Those same individuals currently receive an extra $10 to work on Fridays, and if a degreed or nondegreed teacher substitute works 10 consecutive days they receive $90 a day. 

Collins said she felt left out of the pay raise process as someone who isn't a retired educator.

"I just wanted to be considered," Collins said.

In other business, trustees discussed implementing a policy or training for district and campus administrators about shying away from using fear and intimidation as a management style.

Trustee Doyle Woodall said he put an item on the agenda to start a conversation with trustees and administrators to see if a policy may be developed to address ineffective and unnecessary management styles on campuses and in district departments.

Woodall said he'd heard about fear and intimidation being used on campuses and in the district for the past four years, and he said a policy should be created to deter that type of behavior.

"It does not foster a learning environment for our kids," Woodall said before the meeting. "It should be gone."

Chuck Isner, Texas State Teachers Association's and National Education Association's Ector County chapter president, said several of his members come to him saying they can't speak out about things or file grievances for fear of retaliation.

Board president Carol Gregg said teachers have rights, and they're protected through many channels like the grievance process and the Texas Education Agency.

"Teachers have a very secure position," Gregg said, noting teachers won't get fired for speaking up.

Trustee Randy Rives said administrators in the district also have the right to address their sides of a story when opinions or concerns are voiced.

Rives said the process on all levels may need to be evaluated.

Trustees also:

>> Certified Position 2 trustee Fay Batch as an "elected" unopposed candidate to the ECISD board of trustees.

>> Approved May 20 as the day to canvass the May 10 school board election results.

>> Approved out-of-state travel for OHS Business Professionals of America to go to Reno, Nev., from May 7-11.

>> Approved out-of-state travel for migrant students and teachers to go to Washington, D.C., from June 23-29.

>> Heard a presentation on the district's Advancement Via Individual Determination program, known by the acronym AVID, which helps prepare seventh- through 10th-graders this year prepare for four-year university degrees.