ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — Ector County ISD passed its roughly $424 million school bond in November, and work will get underway starting in 2024.
On Tuesday night, the school board received an extensive look at the timeline and details of the five-year plan.
The presentation at Tuesday's school board meeting was really highlighted by the project calendar and the components behind it. As progress on the bond begins in 2024, a lot of the work looks to be done in just a few years.
Ector County ISD will add new features in the years to come.
“The bulk of the items will occur in the first three years of the bond program – a new career and technical education center, middle school, etc.," said Dr. Scott Muri, superintendent of Ector County ISD. "So, the big projects will be first in line.”
Dr. Muri said strategy is important with most of the finances coming with those projects.
“We know that building costs are going to typically increase over time, so the sooner we can do the large projects the more effective that will be financially for us, and then the second year is clearly the year in which we’ll spend the most money," Dr. Muri said. "That’s because a lot of the big work this year is on design – designing the school, designing the career and technical education center and then next year’s really a lot of construction, and that’s where the big dollars are spent.”
The school board will approve architects and engineers at its February meeting.
“Once those are approved, we’ll assign projects to those architects and engineers, and then the design work begins," Dr. Muri said. "The goal for each of our large projects is to finish all of that work during 2024 – the calendar year – and then really break ground in January of 2025. So, break ground on the middle school, break ground on the career and technical education center, etc. in 2025.”
The goal is to open those new facilities in August of 2026.
With long-term planning, there is some flexibility for the school district.
“There could be design delays, there could be construction delays," Dr. Muri said. "We could also accelerate perhaps – equipment and people come in early and so we’re able to finish early – but, we think two-and-a-half years is a good timeline for those larger projects.”
Dr. Muri mentioned that ECISD is finalizing the purchase of land on South Tripp Ave. for the middle school, and a deed transfer for the career and technical education center located near East Murphy St. and South Meadow Ave.
Separate from the bond, the school district is also close to purchasing the Sunset Property on the north side of Odessa for future growth.