In 1966, the Odessa Industrial Development Corporation was established as a non-profit economic development corporation to assist existing businesses with expansion and attract new compatible industry to Odessa. In 2009, we changed our name to Grow Odessa. Our Mission is simple: Grow Odessa is a non profit organization dedicated to Odessa’s economic development growth.
Throughout our history, Grow Odessa has partnered with numerous organizations to improve the quality of place here in Odessa. Quality of place means different things to different people. Do you have nice parks, outdoor activities, shopping opportunities and lots of things for families to do? Usually, one of the top items on anyone’s list is the quality of education in that community.
When a company or organization is considering expanding into Odessa and plan to relocate any number of individuals from somewhere else, they want to make sure it’s a community these transfers will be happy with. It is also important that the local school district is supplying local employers with their future workforce needs.
When you drive around Odessa and Ector County to see our schools and their condition (due to age), a newcomer might question our priorities as a community. If you lived here your entire life and no longer have children in school, the condition of our schools may not concern you. However, if you’re a young family whose children are about to enter school, the condition of our schools should be very concerning. If you need further proof, go to Odessa High or Permian High during class changes and see what our kids are dealing with every day.
The last time Ector County supported a bond issue was in 2012. Proceeds from that bond issue built two elementary schools in west Odessa and one in northeast Odessa. Successful communities reinvest in themselves when it is needed. In order to maintain the upward trajectory our school district is currently on, it is time to reinvest in ourselves now. Our school facilities are aging, and our high schools are handling far more kids than they were intended to. We need a comprehensive Career and Technical Education High School (CTE), classroom technology needs to be upgraded and numerous maintenance and life-cycle repairs need to be made to existing buildings. These are not wants; they are immediate needs that cannot be kicked down the road for someone else to deal with.
It is for all these reasons and many more that we don’t have room to list, that the Board of Directors of Grow Odessa strongly endorses and supports passage of ECISD Proposition A and Proposition B.
Sincerely,
Eddy Shelton, Chair
GROW Odessa Board of Directors
