Ector County ISD board members discussed feedback from the town hall meetings held on a potential $427,155,000 bond issue during a workshop Tuesday.
The board would have to call a bond election by Aug. 21 for a Nov. 7 election.
Chief Communications Officer Mike Adkins said he believes the plan is to make a decision to call the bond at the Aug. 15 meeting.
Board President Chris Stanley said board members are still processing all the information they received at the town halls.
At Tuesday’s workshop, businessman Ravi Shakamuri and teacher Dallas Kennedy spoke in favor of the bond. Shakamuri said he was at an event Tuesday where a media day was held at Odessa Regional Medical Center for two students who completed the certified nursing assistant dual credit program at Odessa College and were been hired in their respective positions.
Shakamuri said they went to the same school buildings as ORMC President Stacey Brown, which is good and bad news.
He requested that everyone put aside their differences and vote for the bond and figure out a better way to solve their differences.
Kennedy said he has been following the bond closely and was on the bond committee. He added that he heard concerns in the community and he understands them.
“I have never in my life voted for a bond; never voted for any tax increase in my life. But I support this one. … Our schools are in the condition that they’re in,” Kennedy said.
He doesn’t know how they got that way, but the buildings belong to the district and the community.
Kennedy said he supports the bond, especially the maintenance piece.
Board members were positive about the town halls and were pleased to see residents turn out.
Trustee Wayne Woodall said the meetings were productive and helpful.
“What I love is the positivity I saw for this bond and our kids,” Woodall said.
He added that he understands things have been done in the past, but “there’s nothing anybody up here can do about the past.”
Board member Delma Abalos said people spoke for and against the bond, but she walked away with a positive feeling because even if they weren’t for everything in it, they understood the need for a bond.
Abalos added that she heard about a concrete ramp at Ratliff Stadium last night used to push instruments and props onto the field. She said she understands they won’t be able to do anything about it anytime soon, but “all I can say is that I know about it now.”
“I will keep on it, so there you go,” Abalos added.
Board member Robert Thayer said he enjoyed hearing from residents and getting push back. There were questions that came up about testing, but top administrators stayed around to answer questions, which let people leave a little bit satisfied, or not quite as mad as they were before.
Thayer added that he learned that no one wanted anything taken off the list of bond items. He was expecting people to want to take at the middle school off the list.
Trustee Steve Brown said one of the issues he heard about was overcrowding at the elementary schools and capacity at other schools was brought up.
Brown said one of the things he doesn’t think the district has communicated well is if there is an overcapacity school, parents can take their children to one that is more underutilized.
Responses from a recent presentation for teachers received positive response, Superintendent Scott Muri said.
The bond would include three propositions minimum. The package includes a new career and technical education center for $80 million; a new middle school for $120 million; Priority 1 maintenance items for $48.4 million; Priority 2 items for $72.7 million; a new transportation department for $37.45 million; technology needs for $23.5 million; a new Transition Learning Center for $8 million; athletics department needs for $11.1 million; and a new agriculture farm for $7.5 million.
Items under athletics and Ratliff Stadium would be separate under state law.
An Odessa High School indoor practice facility and Permian High School indoor turf replacement would fall under a separate proposition under the laws as well.
Muri said he would bring ballot language to the board for their Aug. 15 meeting.
Land for the new middle school and career and technical education center is not included in the bond, so Muri said it would have to be paid for with bond proceeds.
The bond committee did not decide on where the new buildings would be located as Muri said that is the board’s decision.
“We have said publicly we would like to build the new middle school in the west and the CTE in the south part of the county,” Muri said.
There was some discussion of taking an option on land to build some excitement about where the new facilities would go.
Abalos was against that because a land purchase was approved in the past and a bond didn’t pass, so she was against buying land or taking an option out in advance.
Muri added that if an option was taken out they couldn’t say where it was. Usually land purchases are discussed in closed session and a vote is taken afterward because if everyone knows where the land is the price goes up.
