sgusers4的部落格

Source: Odessa American, TexasAug.文件倉 25--The grass has been mowed and manicured, pencils are sharpened, iPads are charged and everyone is awaiting the first day of the 2013-14 school year.Perhaps the grass portion is a stretch, but like it or not, school is back in session Monday morning for the 36-campus Ector County Independent School District.For all, it's a new school year full of opportunity just ahead -- a time to wipe the slate clean and buckle down and a moment, now, to wave good-bye to summer and smile (or force it if you have to) for the first day.Take in the changes at ECISD as well, from getting to know your child's new teacher, staff or the school's new principal and assistant principals. Consider volunteering at the school or joining the Parent Teacher Association to get more connected with the campus. Attend board of trustees meetings to stay plugged into the wide-reaching decisions and discussion had by the district's elected officials.A new superintendent is planned to be hired this school year, which will play out as an exciting opportunity for the community and the district. Welcome interim superintendent Thomas Crowe, 62, of Bandera who has 38 years experience from being a superintendent in McKinney to teaching and coaching around Texas. He will be in charge of ECISD until the new superintendent is chosen.And all of us, including those who may not have children in school or work at ECISD, should be certain to slow down when driving. Be hyper-aware around schools and where children are walking. Beyond chancing a ticket from police, it's unsafe to drive in those school zones texting or talking on your cell phone.Welcome back!MOM KNOWS BESTThe network of Parent Teacher Associations in Ector County is growing and the president of the council of PTAs is encouraging parents to participate. Right now, there are 19 active PTAs mostly at the elementary school level, President Malcolm Tyree said. Tyree is working with other parent leaders to grow that number. The school-level clubs represent 2,400 members and tens of thousands of dollars, Tyree said at the Aug. 22 board meeting, when the board approved to streamline paperwork for PTAs.Former interim superintendent H.T. Sanchez worked on increasing parent involvement, Tyree said, and he said the council is planning to provide more training and nail down the financial recording so it's clearer. Three schools are working to add PTAs to their campuses this year, he added.Tyree said that not everyone will have time to donate to their child's school activities or fundraisers, but if parents can partner financially, it's just another way to show support. The next goal is to get more junior high school plugged into PTAs, which typically have booster clubs, but a PTA can focus on the whole campus and all students."I strongly encourage every parent to be part of their local PTA and board members, too," Tyree said.In January, Tyree gave a presentation to the district's principals where PTA area president Keran Phipps attended and shared how she believed as a parent she could be influential in her child's education -- at the state level. She said that PTA meetings are where parents can get an education on what is affecting their school. Phipps encouraged parents to reach out to elected officials about issues affecting their child's school.More information: Contact your child's school to find out how to get involved.BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP YEAHWith 910 square miles to cover each morning and afternoon, the transportation department at ECISD is ready to put tires to the pavement with school back in session Monday -- even if they are down 30 drivers."We're pretty deep in the hole," Transportation Director David Morris said.This summer, the department lost 11 employees and hired 12 new drivers. The competition is high in the Permian Basin for those with commercial driver's licenses (CDL) and is pulling away drivers from ECISD. A full staff is closer to 150 drivers, Morris said. By the first day, office staff and mechanics will drive buses."It's the only way we can make it," Morris said.The buses -- that travel as far as Andrews to Crane, and Goldsmith to Gardendale -- are capped at carrying 72 children for the elementary level and about 55 students at the secondary level. Morris said his staffers are trained in defensive driving to traverse the mean streets of Odessa. He instructs them to learn from other people's mistakes and to always be aware of what's going on around them.The shop at the bus barn on West 10th Street is staffed to its capacity, which is a great sign Morris said, despite the same demand from the oil field. Employees are drawn to working in the ECISD transportation department for the ideal work hours."They're on the same schedule as their children. They get all the holidays and summer months off," Morris said, naming off nearly a dozen holidays. "It's a good job."In April, nearly 20 bus drivers stayed at an ECISD board meeting when the trustees approved 7-0 to increase the starting pay for new bus drivers from $12.09 an hour to $13.75 an hour, a $500 sign-on bonus that started immediately, and a $2,000 stipend for office and shop personnel who are driving buses each day. All but the sign-on bonus are effective May 1 at a cost of $34,500 to the district.More information: 432-456-9869FOOD FOR THOUGHTBreakfast is on ECISD, this week. In fact, a balanced breakfast is free to any student, in any school in ECISD, Katy Taylor said, the first-year food service director."It's good to remind people that breakfast is free regardless of eligibility status. It's served in the classroom so you don't have to go to the cafeteria," Taylor said. She previously was the district's dietician before longtime director Terry Gooch retired in the spring. Taylor grew up in the Midland/Odessa area and is returning to the Permian Basin after living and working in Lubbock.This school year, the basics of breakfast and lunch service will remain the same with ECISD still outpacing the federal standards. Every fryer in the kitchens was removed in 2005; they took out candy bars and fried potato chips and provide more fruit and vegetables than are required as well, Taylor said.Each day, employees will produce and serve 15,500 breakfasts, 16,000 lunches, several hundred extended-day snacks and thousands of a la carte meals at 36 campuses.Currently, the department is fully staffed (300 employees) and has a full substitute pool as well, but Taylor said the department is always hiring.Prices for meals are increasing, as appro存倉ed by the board in the spring, up 10 cents for students. Lunches at the elementary schools are now $2.10, up from $2 each; lunch at the secondary campus are $2.35 up from $2.25 and adult meals are $3.25, up from $3.20 each. That's based on reimbursements from the government; because it operates as a nonprofit, the department cannot turn a profit.A change to policy on paying for meals will be in place this school year: students can only charge for three meals until they're offered an alternate meal. This doesn't apply to students who are provided feel meals; rather, it's aimed at paying and reduced priced students. Taylor reminds parents that they can send a check or cash to the school or pay at the cashier at the school's front office.More information: 432-456-9869.IN HIRE STRAITSIt's been said in the Permian Basin that if you can't find a job, you're working hard not to. For a teacher, there's no shortage of opportunity at ECISD. The list of job openings remains long with as many as 35 certified teaching positions are on the school district's website. The list is every-changing because those jobs may be in various stages of the hiring process, according to the district.A starting teaching salary in ECISD is $45,000 annually with a $2,000 incentive if the teacher remains in the job through the school year. Retaining employees has been often discussed by staff and the school board, with the most recent major decision leading to a $3.25 million investment into a $27 million apartment building in downtown Odessa. ECISD anticipated reserving 75 apartments in the building that has a planned opening by 2015 to help in recruiting and retaining employees to the area."We always need more subs and more bus drivers," Director of Communications Mike Adkins said.The district passed a balanced $211 million budget on June 18 that added 28 new positions atop the nearly 4,000 within ECISD: 60 teachers, 14 administrators, four police officers, four support staff and six administrative professionals/special teaching staff.More information: .ector-county.k12.tx.us/Page/930.NEW FACESWith 11 principals making themselves comfortable at new schools this year, ECISD is full of fresh faces this school year. In a competitive run for the next leader of Permian High School, James Ramage previously of Bonham was awarded the position, though finalists Mauricio Marquez, Robin Fawcett and David Steele are all set to lead their own ECISD campuses. Bonham Junior High is welcoming Steele, who is the former principal at Dalhart High School, a town northwest of Amarillo.New Tech Odessa has a new dean in Betsabe Salcido after Adrian Vega left for Tucson, Ariz.; Marquez returns to Crockett and Fawcett to Nimitz.Here's the new line-ups for ECISD's schools. Get to know your child's principal and staff as they get to know your child. New administrators are listed in bold.ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS--Carver: Principal Sherry Palmer.--Lamar: Principal Martha Mitchell.--Austin Montessori: Principal Crystal Castillo (previously assistant principal at Travis); assistant principal Lauren Crane.--Blackshear: Principal Marcos Lopez; assistant principals Becky Phillips and Marilee Holmes.--Blanton: Principal Marlyn Young (previously assistant principal at Hood); assistant principal Erin Reddell.--Burleson: Principal Lisa Hernandez; assistant principal Susan Shelton.--Burnet: Principal Tristan Specter; assistant principal Holly Cannon.--Cameron: Principal Alicia Syverson; assistant principal David Bargas.>>Cavazos: Principal Maribel Aranda (previously assistant principal at Johnson); assistant principal Sandy Arneson.--Dowling: Principal Valeria Rivera; assistant principal Gisela Davila.--Murry/Fly: Principal Yolanda Hernandez; assistant principal Monica Sarabia.--Gale Pond/Alamo: Principal Regina Lee (previously assistant principal of Sam Houston); assistant principal Alisha Jutras.--Gonzales: Principal Alicia Press; assistant principal Linda Subia.--Goliad: Principal Annette Macias; assistant principal Martha Overby.--Hays: Principal Amy Anderson; assistant principal Dawndy Zinnert.--Ireland: Principal Pam Walker; assistant principal Staci Molyneaux.--Johnson: Principal Scott Houston (previously assistant principal at Alamo); assistant principal Alisha Holguin.--Jordan: Principal Linda Voss (previously principal at Blanton); assistant principal Jaime Miller and Sunny Rodriguez.--Milam: Principal Natalie Fitzgerald (previously assistant principal at Milam); assistant principal Kristen Roe.--Noel: Principal Tammie White; assistant principal Charles O'Connor.--Pease: Principal Stacy Johnson; assistant principal Benjamin Villareal.--Reagan: Principal Andrea Martin; assistant principal Tisa Hawkins.--Ross: Principal Lety Amalla; assistant principal Katherine Reddick.--Sam Houston: Principal Sandra Banda; assistant principal Carla Crissinger.--San Jacinto: Principal Lina Perez; assistant principal Marissa King.--Travis: Principal Tanya Galindo (previously assistant principal at Burnet); assistant principal Amanda Duncan.JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS--Bonham: Principal David Steele (previously principal of Dalhart High School); assistant principals Bobby Rush, Megan Chapman and Robert Whatley.--Bowie: Principal Sheila Stevenson; assistant principals Dora Martinez, Katie Nisbet and Neal Raphael.--Crockett: Principal Mauricio Marquez; assistant principals Vicki Beets, Oscar Guzman and Tonya Houston.--Ector: Principal Val Hernandez; assistant principals Rosalinda Acosta, Kelly Brinlee, Cody Griffin, Tabatha Young and Leon Gomez.--Hood: Principal Wayne Squires; assistant principals Kevin Adams and Eric Dobey.--Nimitz: Principal Robin Fawcett; assistant principals Rene Barrientes, Debra Byrd and Teresa Willison.HIGH SCHOOLS--New Tech Odessa: Principal Betsabe Salcido (previously NTO dean of students).--Permian: Principal Greg Nelson; assistant principals Ramon Berzoza, Kendra Herrera, Mark Crissinger, Daniel Fuller, Efrain Moreno and Christine Mullis.--Odessa: Principal James Ramage (previously principal at Bonham); assistant principals Ysmael Lujan, Vanessa Carr, Rachel Baxter, Mitch Gerig, Lisa Duncan and Richard Ontiveroz.--Alternative Center: Principal Charles Quintela; assistant principals Bivian Hermosillo and Lori Schulze.More information: 432-456-9019.--Contact Lindsay Weaver on twitter at @OAschools, on Facebook at OA Lindsay Weaver or call 432-333-7781.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at .oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉