'08 brings change to ECISD

Change.

It's something ECISD has had plenty of in 2008, starting with superintendent Hector Mendez fully taking over the district after serving in an interim capacity.

Trustees approved Mendez as the new district superintendent in May, approving a contract worth $200,000 a year for three years. The new superintendent had to deal with numerous issues, such as increasing TAKS scores, settling a Bible curriculum lawsuit, possibly coming out from under a desegregation order and an evolving career center program.

LEADERSHIP

For his part, Mendez said working as superintendent is pretty much the same as when he served in an interim capacity.

"I have a large system to manage, but I never let the concept of temporary hamper my decision-making," Mendez said. "The job remains the same today."

However, Mendez said once he became superintendent, the district as a whole began to heal from the rocky changes brought on by the departure of former superintendent Wendell Sollis after a deeply divided board fired him in July 2007.

"They no longer had to worry about who would replace him. It provided a foundation from which to work and build," Mendez said.

That focus on building has led Mendez to really emphasize a couple of areas: communication, improving the TAKS scores and the district's strategic plan. With communication, Mendez said he has made progress in getting the community more involved in ECISD.

"You have to be open and transparent, and we have that starting with the trustees," Mendez said.

The strategic plan is currently in the action step phase and will include specific goals to reach for the future. Mendez said the plan will be updated to reflect new needs every year. The teams evaluating the plan include several community members and even students - in all, 110 people are involved.

"It becomes the community's plan for the future, giving the district guidance," Mendez said.

In another change of leadership, Roy Garcia took over Permian High principal after serving at Ector Junior High. He said the change he has experienced is largely based on the school's reputation.

"The recognition given Permian makes the responsibility even more intense," Garcia said.

Accountbaility

Much of the strategic plan focuses on improving academics so TAKS scores improve. In many ways, 2008 saw great improvements for the district with regards to testing. ECISD's state accountability report in 2007 was mixed, showing Bowie Junior High as an unacceptable campus. In 2008, that turned around, and the school came close to receiving a recognized rating. The improvement occurred across many of the district's campuses, particularly in math and science. No campuses were rated unacceptable in 2008.

"We increased from five to 13 recognized campuses, a significant improvement," director of elementary operations Wendy Hines said.

Reagan Magnet once again received an exemplary rating as well, and Hines said the gap between district and state performance decreased. The district had the highest TAKS performance since the test was instituted.

However, despite the progress, some challenges remained in 2008. ECISD failed the federal No Child Left Behind standard, missing the Adequate Yearly Progress benchmark. Math and science performance as well as participation numbers by special education students played a major role in missing the mark. Though AYP uses the same data as the state accountability ratings showing much better results, higher standards results in the missed benchmark. Also, many special education students fared poorly on a new special education test.

Legal issues

Another major issue for the district was the mediation of a lawsuit over the district's Bible curriculum. A changed curriculum took effect in the fall of 2008, the result of a mediated settlement agreement. A group of parents felt the past curriculum was too religious. The new class is a cultural Bible course taught by Christianna Jensen.

"We are looking to see how people lived through the lens of the Bible," Jensen said.

Also on the legal front, ECISD came close to possible resolution on the consent decree arising from a 1982 desegregation order. The district is eligible to apply for unitary (legally desegregated) status in January, which would release the district from significant court supervision. Mendez said progress is the key issue with regard to the consent decree.

"We are moving forward, and we are taking the necessary steps to address the issues, developing corrective action where needed," Mendez said. According to Mendez, the district has addressed concerns in areas like the numbers of minority teachers, something discussed in the decree. He said the district has taken corrective actions.

Advanced Technical Center

The Career Center became the Advanced Technical Center for the 2008-'09 school year, opening the facility up to all students from both high schools. Buses leave and arrive on campus hourly, bringing students to study technology and career courses at the ATC.

Before this school year, students had to choose to attend the Career Center full-time to take technical courses even though their diplomas were still from wither OHS or Permian. The restructuring was designed to give more students the opportunity to take the classes.

"You had a campus with dropping enrollment, and now it serves over 1,100 students due to the change," Mendez said.

On some issues like the consent decree, only 2009 will provide the answers as to just how the changes of 2008 affected ECISD.

AT A GLANCE

Some of the big changes in ECISD during 2008:

>> Interim superintendent Hector Mendez is hired in a full-time capacity to replace fired superintendent Wendell Sollis.

>> The district resolves lawsuit over legal standing of Bible curriculum by going through mediation and approving a new cultural Bible course intended to teach about societies through Biblical texts.

>> TAKS scores improve in state accountability ratings with 13 recognized campuses (up from five in 2007). Reagan remains exemplary. No school is rated academically unacceptable, and Bowie Junior High comes close to reaching recognized status after being rated unacceptable last year.

>> Due to new special education exams and a lingering gap between district and state performance, the federal Adequate Yearly Progress standard is not met by ECISD. Using the same data as state accountability ratings, it has stricter standards.

>> The district continues work on the consent decree tied to a 1982 desegregation order. Eligible to apply for nonsegregated status in January 2009, Mendez said the district is working on weak areas in the decree.

>> Opened up to all district high school students through busing every hour, the Career Center is renamed the Advanced Technical Center.

>> Roy Garcia takes over as principal at Permian High, moving from Ector Junior High.