The Ector County ISD Board of Trustees held its January workshop on the 10^th. A recap of the agenda is below.

1. Roll Call.

2. Verification of Compliance with Open Meeting Law.

3. In his opening remarks, Superintendent Dr. Scott Muri thanked the Odessa City Council and Mayor Javier Joven for a School Board Month proclamation celebrating the Ector County ISD Trustees (the board had just returned from receiving the proclamation at the City Council meeting). He also talked about the board’s upcoming visit to Austin to talk with elected officials about the school board’s legislative priorities for the upcoming session. The visit they will be making this week is also part of their involvement in the inaugural Raise Your Hand Texas Trustee Advocate Program.                                             

4. There was no public comment.  

5. Report/Discussion Items

1. Trustees received a report on Career & Technical Education (CTE) in ECISD. The mission of ECISD’s CTE program is to prepare students to compete in the global workforce through rigorous academic and work-based learning programs. The District offers 26 CTE programs of study, all of which are aligned to in-demand and high-wage occupations. These are four-year sequences of courses. Data supports the idea that CTE keeps students engaged in school and creates a sense of belonging. A look at the four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2020, shows a graduation rate of 95% for ECISD students in who have taken two or more CTE courses for two more credits within the same course of study, a figure 29% higher than those who do not. Data also shows CTE students perform at a higher level on STAAR End of Course Exams. Students also have access to CTE Dual Credit courses through Odessa College. Dual Credit means students get high school credit and college credit for the same course. In the Fall of 2022, 1,683 students took CTE Dual Credit courses through OC, the cost of which is paid for by ECISD. A few of the items in the planning stages are an Energy Program of Study in collaboration with the Education Partnership of the Permian Basin, a Career Placement Fair in collaboration with the Workforce Board of the Permian Basin and ACCESS, and a Texas Tech Health Sciences Center Middle School to Medical Doctor program. You can see the presentation information here.  

6. There was no closed session.

7. There were no closing remarks.

8. The meeting adjourned at 7:59 p.m.