Ector County I.S.D. Holds Town Hall Meetings Over Switch To Middle School Model
By: Big 2 News Staff
Updated: February 27, 2013
ODESSA -- Ector County I.S.D. is asking for community input as it transitions to a middle school model.
E.C.I.S.D. has scheduled nine town hall meetings to discuss the changes with Ector County residents.
Three of those meetings have already taken place, including a meeting Wednesday night at Bonham Junior High.
The switch to a middle school model -- where 6th graders will go to middle school and 9th graders will be in high school -- is one of the changes coming to E.C.I.S.D. after Ector County voters passed a $129,750,000 bond in the November 2012 elections.
The bond will also fund three new elementary schools and two high school editions.
E.C.I.S.D. officials say that they heard three main concerns at Wednesday's meeting.
"Parents really want to make sure they their children have the opportunity to take advance course work -- if they're ready for it --at the 6th grade level," H.T. Sanchez of E.C.I.S.D. told Big 2. "[Parents want to to make sure] that their 9th grade students who would be at the high school wouldn't be limited as they currently are at the junior high [level]. If they're ready to take advance mathematics or foreign language courses they can take those. And [parents want to make sure] that there's a balance between teaching the 6th graders responsibly and taking care of them."
E.C.I.S.D. officials say they want parents' and community members' thoughts as they implement the district-wide changes.
A list the dates and locations for the remaining E.C.I.S.D. town hall meetings (which all start at 5:30 PM) is below:
Monday March 4th at Bowie Jr. High
Monday March 25 at John B Hood Jr. High
Monday April 1 at New Tech Odessa
Wednesday April 3 at Permian High School
Monday April 8 at Crockett Jr High
Monday April 22 at Ector Jr. High
E.C.I.S.D. has scheduled nine town hall meetings to discuss the changes with Ector County residents.
Three of those meetings have already taken place, including a meeting Wednesday night at Bonham Junior High.
The switch to a middle school model -- where 6th graders will go to middle school and 9th graders will be in high school -- is one of the changes coming to E.C.I.S.D. after Ector County voters passed a $129,750,000 bond in the November 2012 elections.
The bond will also fund three new elementary schools and two high school editions.
E.C.I.S.D. officials say that they heard three main concerns at Wednesday's meeting.
"Parents really want to make sure they their children have the opportunity to take advance course work -- if they're ready for it --at the 6th grade level," H.T. Sanchez of E.C.I.S.D. told Big 2. "[Parents want to to make sure] that their 9th grade students who would be at the high school wouldn't be limited as they currently are at the junior high [level]. If they're ready to take advance mathematics or foreign language courses they can take those. And [parents want to make sure] that there's a balance between teaching the 6th graders responsibly and taking care of them."
E.C.I.S.D. officials say they want parents' and community members' thoughts as they implement the district-wide changes.
A list the dates and locations for the remaining E.C.I.S.D. town hall meetings (which all start at 5:30 PM) is below:
Monday March 4th at Bowie Jr. High
Monday March 25 at John B Hood Jr. High
Monday April 1 at New Tech Odessa
Wednesday April 3 at Permian High School
Monday April 8 at Crockett Jr High
Monday April 22 at Ector Jr. High
