CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Odem-Edroy ISD kicks off their 2023 – 2024 school year Wednesday, August 16. Though many districts across the Coastal Bend have struggled with filling teacher vacancies, the district’s superintendent claims they do not have any problems.
The main challenge of rural districts is not having access to as many resources as other larger, and wealthier districts. Odem-Edroy ISD started out as economically disadvantaged, but after restructuring finances, the district is hiring quality educators who plan to stay within the district.
Odem High School principal Lisa Flores believes the district heavily invests in its educators.
“Today I was like ‘oh my gosh,’ 19 years, it went by fast,” she said. “It really did.”
Across the district, that type of dedication is habitual.
“The last few years we have been able to be fully staffed,” Flores said.
The district says the compassion their educators have nurturing students’ abilities, exceeds the weight of any paycheck.
Algebra II teacher and testing coordinator for Odom High School Jesse Marinelarena has been an educator for nine years.
"It's really rewarding I guess, that part of the education,” he said. “You impacted students in some way, even though you didn't know that you did."
In 2022, Marinelarena won the ‘Region 2 Secondary Teacher of the Year’ award after only working in Odem-Edroy ISD for 3 years. His mother, Yolanda Carr who is also Odem-Edroy ISD’s superintendent, couldn’t be more proud of her son and staff.
"You always have these aspirations for your kid, that you want them to do something better than you did,” Carr said. “And so, in all honesty, I probably tried to push him away from education."
That push wasn't enough to deter him, his calling pulled him in another direction.
"Here in Odem, you're pretty respected around the community,” he said. “For what you do for the kids."
Carr added, “Education doesn't stop just because you're a teacher, it's our job to grow people to their full capacity. And if we're doing that with teachers, then we're certainly doing that with our students."
Superintendent Yolanda Carr says Odem-Edroy ISD has remained stable the past four years and has not had problems filling vacancies. The district is on their third year providing stipends for all professional staff in the amount of $2,500. This year all returning auxiliary staff will also receive a $750 incentive as well.