Proposition A – $424,263,000

New Career & Technical Education Center to be located in south Odessa/Ector County

New middle school to be located in west Ector County

Districtwide maintenance and repairs

Transportation Department: bus purchases and a new Transportation Facility

Technology Department: replacement of district phone system, PA/Bell/Clock/Fire Alarm system replacements; security camera refresh; classroom interactive flat panels; large group instruction area audio/visual equipment

Fine Arts Department: complete renovation of the Permian High School Auditorium; replace outdated instruments; performance risers for all middle school choirs; classroom instruments for elementary campuses; uniforms for middle school bands and mariachi; JROTC facility needs

Transition Learning Center: compete replacement of facility for students with special needs learning to transition from school to the workforce

Agriculture Farm: complete replacement of classroom buildings and barns

Athletics: LED lighting at the Odessa High School baseball and tennis stadiums; LED lighting at the Permian High School baseball stadium; resurfacing of tennis stadiums at all middle schools; replacement of indoor bleachers in main gyms of all middle schools;

Land purchase for new CTE Center and new middle school

Proposition B – $8,096,000

Ratliff Stadium: concrete overlay of bleachers; update restrooms; LED lighting for stadium parking lot; LED lighting at track/field event venue; air conditioning/heating for south building locker rooms; replace one grass field with artificial turf; (also includes any major maintenance needs at the stadium complex identified in Facilities Assessment report).

Proposition C – $3,750,000

New indoor practice facility for Odessa High School; new artificial turf for existing indoor practice facility at Permian High School (according to the law, these indoor practice facilities must be separate bond proposals for voters to consider.)

Next steps for the school district include meeting with community members to inform Ector County residents about the three proposals and answer any questions they may have.

“We will be very active in getting information to our community,” said Dr. Muri. “The last bond election, held in May 2022, saw very low voter turnout, less than ten-percent of Ector County voters. We want to see a much larger turnout this fall.”

Bond 2023 Q&A

1. If there is no tax rate increase, where will the money come from to pay for these bond items?

Based upon the district’s existing tax base, the district would not need to increase the total tax rate of $1.014 to pay the $436,109,000 of bond projects. 

2. Where will the new middle school and the new CTE be located?

School board members have said they want to see the new middle school be located in west Ector County in order to reduce the amount of time students in the area spend driving or riding buses to-and-from existing middle schools.

The new CTE Center would ideally sit in the southern part of the City/County with relatively quick access to the interstate or other major highway for easy access.

The school district does not yet own property for these two proposed facilities.

3. How will the new CTE center operate, will it be a separate school?

It would be a hybrid model. The new CTE Center would be the home campus for 400 full-time students. It would also serve an additional 2,000 students at various times throughout each day as they travel back-and-forth from Odessa High School, Permian High School, and New Tech Odessa taking CTE elective courses. Currently, ECISD offers Career & Technical courses at 7 different sites. The proposed facility would allow the school district to consolidate several existing programs under one roof plus add new CTE programs. 

4. I heard CTE classes at New Tech Odessa will move to the new CTE Center, what will happen with all that room at NTO?

By moving existing CTE courses out of New Tech Odessa, an NTO middle school program would be added as a Middle School Choice option to support the NTO program and provide some capacity relief to ECISD’s middle school campuses.

5. Why is there no high school included? Is that no longer a priority?

A new high school remains a priority as both Odessa High School and Permian High School expect enrollment of about 4,000 students. However, the members of the bond committee felt the cost of a new, comprehensive high school ($320 million) would not leave enough room financially to address other facilities concerns. Additionally, a new high school was part of a bond proposal in May 2022 and was voted down by citizens.

6. Why is there such a large need for maintenance and repairs?

ECISD’s annual maintenance budget includes work on capital projects like those listed in the facilities report, as well as repairs and maintenance that arise during the school year. Since 2017, ECISD has spent, on average more than $15.6 million in non-payroll expenses for maintenance and facility capital projects annually.

7. If the bond is successful, what is the timeline for these projects?

If the propositions are approved by voters, district leaders will develop a priority schedule. Items that can be addressed immediately (like maintenance and repairs, bus purchases equipment, etc.) will be started as quickly as bonds can be sold, projects planned and contractors hired. Building projects will take longer to begin as land purchases and design work must take place before construction can begin. It is anticipated all work will be completed in about 5 years.

8. Will there be a system of checks and balances to make sure the bond money is spent on the projects promised?

Yes, a bond oversight committee of community members will be put in place to review the progress of all of the bond projects. After the successful Tax Ratification Election (TRE) in 2018, a TRE oversight committee met for the year following the election and monitored the progress of the work.

9. How will the new middle school be staffed?

Most of the students in the new middle school will be moving from existing middle schools, and many of the positions will be filled by current staff members who want to move there, too.

10. Is there a plan to deal with student capacity issues in elementary schools like Jordan and Buice?

Currently ECISD is evaluating different options for levelling the number of students in schools like Jordan and Buice and other schools with much lower enrollment. For parents of students in those schools with high enrollment, an immediate option is to request a transfer to a Choice campus or low-enrollment campus.