ECISD Board of Trustees Meeting Highlights

By Max Roemer

  The East Chambers Independent School District (ECISD) board of trustees held a regular meeting on September 9 beginning at 6pm in the ECISD Administration building located at 216 Champions Loop, Winnie, TX 77665.

  ECISD has opened a childcare center for its teachers and employees reports Andrea Smith, Assistant Superintendent. Smith, also, reported on the Teacher Incentive Allotment and safety updates. The District now has safety measures in the hands of every teacher. All teachers will be required to wear a panic button. They can also set off a panic alarm on their watch, ipads, and through their cloud. The safety of students and their teachers has never been stronger. Now, it is up to the sheriff’s deputies to respond in a timely manner.

  The high school is currently holding their cheer clinic. The students will be having “theme days” every Friday during football season. This is an exciting way for students to express their team spirit and support for the football team. As with the rest of the District, the high school is performing beginning of the year testing on the students to have a benchmark of where they are now and where they are at the end of the school year. Future Farmers of America are gearing up for the Texas Rice Festival hosted by Winnie, TX.

  After a closed session, the trustees returned to their seats to vote on the action items. The most noticeable vote by the board is the renaming of the Administration Building to the Scott Campbell Administration Building upon his retirement in the summer of 2025. Congratulations to Scott Campbell!

  The new Junior High building is nearing completion. There is some trim work that needs to be reassessed and replaced. Also, the one empty “hole” that you see on the exterior of the building will be finished ASAP according to Rabb Architects. The bond for the District’s improvements has $700,000 remaining and a final bill just under $800,000. In other words, the bond money is gone and ECISD is dipping into its own pockets.

  The District currently has 1,574 total students with above 450 students in the high school alone. ECISD’s 7^th and 8^th grade are the biggest 7^th and 8^th grades ever at the District meaning the high school will be at or around 500 students next year.

  The next meeting of the ECISD Board of Trustees will be on October 14, 2024, at the Administration building beginning at 6pm located at 216 Champions Way, Winnie, TX 77665.