The possibility of another bond and tax ratification election, rezoning of elementary and middle schools and reconfiguration of elementary schools will be tackled by the Ector County Independent School District Board of Trustees during a special workshop meeting set for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the board room of the administration building, 802 N. Sam Houston Ave.
In November 2017, voters rejected a $291,172,291 bond and a tax ratification election.
On the bond issue, 61.81 percent of people voted against the bond and 38.19 percent voted for it, or 4,442 against and 2,744 in support.
On the tax ratification election, 60.04 percent, or 4,312 people voted against it, and 39.96 percent, or 2,870, were for it.
At a March 6 meeting, the board talked about the possibility of trying another tax ratification and bond election.
Other than teachers and bus drivers, no one has had a raise in two years, supplemental agenda material said. The roofs from the hail storms in both 2016 and 2017 left the district $6.7 million short of meeting its deductible requirements and the insurance company is still assessing the damage, the material said.
There are only 11 schools that have controlled access entrances which were included in the failed 2017 bond election and the material said they all need to be addressed.
At that March 6 meeting, the board also discussed a TRE that would be for 8 cents per $100 valuation, which would generate approximately $11 million. The 8 cents would be added to the district’s $1.04 maintenance and operation rate. The total tax rate is currently $1.15 per $100 valuation, so this would make it $1.23 per $100 valuation.
Public Information Officer Mike Adkins said the board could change the 8 cents.
The district has hired TranCend4, a company specializing in bond elections to help guide the community through the process, the supplemental material said. The cost is $26,000, plus expenses which include flights, car/Uber, hotel and meals.
On the boundary changes, parents and community members are welcome to attend and offer input. Additional community meetings are being planned for the subject, the district newsletter said.
The board began discussing adjustments to boundary zones for elementary and middle schools March 6. When work from the 2012 bond issue was completed, boundary zones for all middle and elementary schools were updated.
It was the first time major boundary changes had been made in nearly 25 years, the newsletter said. At the time, the school board and administration said the lines would need to be evaluated every two or three years and adjusted if necessary.
The big concern currently is the area in north Odessa where Jordan and Buice elementary schools project to have more than 900 students in the next couple of years. The boundary changes would send some of their students to other campuses to provide relief from overcrowding.
The same concerns exist for all the middle schools, the newsletter said.
