A teacher apprenticeship program, expanding the International Baccalaureate program and a boost from the Permian Strategic Partnership were the items Ector County ISD Superintendent Scott Muri highlighted in his weekly media call Monday.
During the annual State of the District March 2, Muri said PSP announced it would be donating $100,000 to the development of the first teacher apprenticeship program in West Texas.
“In fact, there is only one other currently operating in the state of Texas that’s on the east side of our state. This will give us an opportunity on the west side,” Muri said.
He added that the federal government in recent years has moved the teaching profession into the workforce development category which allows those individuals that are interested in becoming educators access to federal dollars to pay for part of their program to become a certified teacher in Texas.
“We’ll be developing that program, thanks to a significant contribution from Permian Strategic Partnership. Again, that will be the new teacher apprenticeship program coming soon to ECISD and the Permian Basin,” Muri said.
He expressed gratitude to PSP for that investment.
It was also announced that ECISD would expand its International Baccalaureate program by adding primary and middle schools. ECISD has IB at Odessa High School.
“We will have within a 120-mile radius the only elementary, middle school and high school feeder pattern for International Baccalaureate. We’re excited about that. Our staff has worked diligently to put these pieces together. Next year during the ’23-24 school year we will be developing the faculty and staff and that will serve students, and in the ’24-25 school year, we will open for the very first time and welcome students into an elementary program for baccalaureate students, as well as a middle school program for IB,” Muri said.
He added that this comes from listening to parents.
“We conducted a survey of our moms and dads about a year ago. Expanding the high-quality, rigorous academic options for our students, specifically IB, was one of those pieces that we heard loud and clear from our parents. We’re really happy to be able to introduce this opportunity for moms and dads, and especially our students in the coming years,” Muri said.
PSP also announced that it would help ECISD with a new Career and Technical Education facility if it passed as part of the proposed bond coming up in May.
“We have run out of the capacity to absorb more students into our CTE programming and we must have a new facility that will more effectively meet the needs of our students,” Muri said.
“Currently, we have a bond committee working on that particular process, but we were issued a challenge and a wonderful opportunity. The Permian Strategic Partnership challenged us if we will as a community build a new facility to support Career and Technical Education for the students of ECISD, they will in turn help us fund that opportunity. We appreciate the Permian Strategic Partnership stepping forward with significant funding that will help us build and create a new Career and Technical Education facility for the students in ECISD. That is of course contingent on the successful passage of a bond referendum that would contain the CTE facility,” Muri added.
Asked if PSP influences policy, Muri said all of their support has come from ECISD asking them for support.
“I kind of view them as an accelerator. They allow us to accelerate the work that we need to do anyway as an organization and without their funding we would be significantly delayed in some of the work that we’re doing organizationally, so again very appreciative of their investments,” Muri said.
He added that PSP doesn’t come to ECISD with opportunities, the district comes to them and PSP says yes or no. Muri said it works that way with other philanthropic organizations.
“Our responsibility as a school district is to educate the children of the community. That’s why public school districts exist across our state and nation is to make sure that we are preparing the next generation of adults, if you will, to lead productive lives as good citizens of our state and ultimately our nation. We have needs as an organization. We’re a growing and evolving organization and career and technical education … is something that our students need. Our businesses and industry need that. In fact, when you look at the Workforce Commission’s list of specific job needs in our own area, our CTE program was built to align with the education and the qualifications, certifications and licensure that individuals need to seek gainful employment within our community, so a CTE facility is a piece of the work that we do to serve our students and ultimately our community,” Muri said.
Asked if a vacant building in the city or county is a possibility to house the CTE programs, Muri said the bond committee is working on a proposal that they will bring to the board of trustees.
“Our students have got to have (that). They deserve quality facilities, quality resources, quality tools on which to develop their skill set so they’re good workers in the society in which we live, our own community,” Muri said.
He added that the students being educated today will be the doctors and nurses of tomorrow.
“I want them to be exceptionally prepared to meet the needs of this community. Our kids deserve that. They deserve to be excellently prepared by high-quality educators, high-quality facilities and to have access to great tools just like the adults in our community should receive services and support from adults, from teachers, doctors, attorneys, whomever, that are expertly prepared. That’s our responsibility as a school district to make sure our kids are prepared to take over when the rest of us retire,” Muri said.
He added that ECISD offers all 27 pathways that are provided by the state of Texas. The newest pathway under development is an energy pathway.
Gov. Greg Abbott also recently announced the reappointment of Robert Brescia, a teacher at Permian High School and Muri to six-year terms on the State Board of Educator Certification.
Brescia has worked on the committee for several years and Muri said he just completed his first year of service.
