Ector County ISD trustees approved a 3 percent raise for Superintendent Scott Muri during their meeting Tuesday night.
The motion was made by trustee Steve Brown and seconded by President Chris Stanley and approved unanimously.
Brown made the motion that the board approve the superintendent’s employment contract as follows:
- That his contract be extended to the end of June 30, 2028; that his salary be increased by 3 percent to $328,801,056, which is the same raise that was given to teachers, percentage-wise, Brown said.
- The number of his vacation days be increased from 20 to 30 days per contract year and that section 3.3.5 be modified to allow the superintendent to be paid for all earned but unused vacation days.
Muri thanked the board for their action.
“We’ve talked in closed session about plans for the future,” Muri said. “It’s a lot of fun to think about the tomorrow … the system (and) where we’re going. It’s also fun tonight to look back and see where we’ve been. The real excitement is to think about what tomorrow has in store. So I appreciate the team of eight (and) the work that we do together. We know that when we do work together, they, the people that are here tonight — mostly our students and staff members — benefit from the team and they appreciate its value.”
Last September, trustees approved an increase in Muri’s salary and extending his contract to June 30, 2027.
His salary rose from $309,927 to $319,224.81 per year, which is a 3 percent increase, the same raise that was given to classroom teachers last year.
Muri reviewed the district’s STAAR and end-of-course exam results and three principals presented their campus improvement plans to the Ector County ISD Board of Trustees during their workshop Tuesday.
Muri announced that 73 percent of ECISD’s high school students are college, career and military ready. Last year, it was 65 percent.
This domain goes into the district’s accountability rating.
“That’s a big deal. I cannot give you the state’s because it hasn’t been released. That number is pretty remarkable,” Muri said. “When the state releases their number, you’ll understand how remarkable that is.”
He added that a lot of the work on getting students college, career and military ready happens at the high school level starting as freshmen and finishing when they graduate.
Muri said it comes down to the principals, we finish when they graduate from high school. He also praised Associate Superintendent of Student and School Support Alicia Syverson, Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Lilia Nanez and Chief of Schools Keeley Boyer and their teams for their efforts.
There will be a more in-depth presentation on CCMR next week, Muri said.
“This is very, very good news for our schools and our accountability system,” he added.
Muri told trustees the state’s A-F grading system for districts will be delayed until late October or early November.
The postponement of ratings for approximately a month will allow for a further examination of the baseline data used in the calculation of Progress to ensure ratings reflect the most appropriate goals for students, a Texas Education Agency news release said.
The final ratings methodology will be posted once that analysis of the growth data is complete, and about two weeks later, A-F ratings will be issued for parents, educators and the public to use to help Texas schools continue to improve, the release detailed.
“Maintaining high expectations helps guide our efforts to improve student learning and support,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in the release. “The A-F system is designed to properly reflect how well our schools are meeting those high expectations, and the adjustments we are making this year will ensure it continues to serve as a tool for parents and educators to help our students.”
Trustee Dawn Miller said she applauded the work that has been done, but she’s not pulling out the ticker tape yet.
“I see the growth, but what about those other kiddos on the other side of that equation. … We have to see those not meeting and approaches (improve),” Miller said.
Board member Delma Abalos said the trend is moving in the right direction, but “we can’t pat ourselves on the back yet.” The district needs to meet state numbers.
San Jacinto Elementary Principal Fallon McClane, Bowie Middle School Principal Amy Russell and Odessa High School Principal Anthony Garcia presented their campus improvement plans.
