Candidate for Odessa School Board: Ed Deife

Age: 75

Family: I met my wife Dee in the spring of 1984 and a year later I was a husband, father of three, one a teenager and a grandfather. I have since acquired six more grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. Not bad for a late starter.

Day Job: Retired following 44 years as a mechanic and service manager at Walter Implement.

Relevent or Volunteer Experience: Two terms Odessa City Council, 13 years Odessa School Board, twice Biergarten chairmen, twice chamber president, current member Odessa Public Development Authority Board.

Profile questions (please respond in 100 words or less per answer):

Question 1: Statistics show that statewide, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdowns that led to learning loss is still felt today. How could the School Board help narrow the gap of learning loss caused by COVID?

Applying statewide statistics can be very misleading. Most small schools including Odessa returned to in-person learning much faster than the larger schools. We were pleasantly surprised by our test scores after emerging from the pandemic. I will not try to convince you that all our scores are great, but rather than blame everything on COVID our administrators need to take a deep dive into the data to identify trends that might exist pre and post COVID.

Question 2: Earlier this year, some parents vocally and publicly voiced their displeasure with the School District, accusing staff members of mistreating students or ignoring mistreatment against students by others. Do you see this as a problem in the District? If so, how should this be remedied? If not, why do you think those complaints could have been overblown?

After the meeting, all the parents who spoke, were invited to meet with our superintendent. Not all parents responded to the invitation. Of those that, did conversations were held, Some resolutions were reached and some continue to be a work in progress. I am extremely pleased with the commitment Steve Fisk and Corey Kane have made to keep lines of communication open. As to whether there complaints were overblown, I can only state that in thirteen years, only one complaint against an adult has reached the board. No complaint has come to the board against a student. We have programs in place that encourage our students to treat their peers with kindness and respect. Our staff works diligently to promote this behavior in our students.

Question 3: How would you help maintain a balanced District budget amidst continually rising costs and inflation mixed with rather stagnant enrollment trends? If budget issues someday led to tough decisions, such as deciding between staff layoffs and program cuts, how would you inform those choices as a Board member?

Unlike many districts in the state, Odessa finds itself in an excellent fiscal position. Due to careful budgeting and a critical eye to expenditures, we have sufficient reserves. I do not see it likely that we will have to make any cuts to staff or programs. Our enrollment took a large hit during the pandemic, Since then we have seen a slight increase in numbers, and I would expect that continue. Our student numbers have been helped by the families from outside the district who send their kids to Odessa. We need to continue to encourage and accept opt-in students.