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What you need to know about Socorro ISD’s meeting on 300 layoffs [1]

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Date: 2025-02-18

A large crowd is expected Wednesday night at a Socorro Independent School District board meeting that could end with hundreds of layoffs next school year, larger class sizes and other changes that could reshape the struggling school district.

The SISD school board will decide whether to accept recommendations from Interim Superintendent James Vasquez to lay off 300 employees, eliminate most of its elementary fine arts programs and increase student-to-teacher ratios in an effort to cut its budget by $38 million for the 2025-26 school year.

Teachers, parents, students and supporters of fine arts in schools plan to attend the meeting in droves to denounce the proposed plan and advocate to keep music and art programs.

“Our kids really love us. Our teachers love what we do. It’s not just a job, it’s a calling, and we’ve faithfully answered that call, and for us to go and have it taken away from us, and for that to be taken away from our students, it’s just unfair,” SISD elementary school art teacher Jose Montoya told El Paso Matters.

Why is SISD considering laying off teachers?

The potential layoffs come as Socorro ISD and school districts throughout El Paso face stagnant state funding and declining enrollment.

Socorro ISD is the second largest school district in El Paso County, with about 47,000 students. Though the district experienced rapid growth in the past 30 years, it has been losing students more recently as El Paso’s birth rates declined by more than 20% in the past decade.

Enrollment has decreased by 1,200 students in the last three years and daily attendance has decreased by more than 2%, leading to a $16 million reduction in state aid.

Over the last year, the SISD school board adopted a $479.6 million budget with a $22 million deficit for the 2024-25 school year, reduced its employee health plan contribution to save money and took out a $25 million loan to cover payroll expenses after depleting its cash reserves.

Other decisions made by the school board — such as approving compensation packages in 2022 and 2023 that were significantly above recommendations by the administration — have contributed to the deficit.

Related SISD employees see pay cuts under new health plan Some SISD employees are getting smaller paychecks after the district’s new health insurance plan went into effect

Data from the Texas Education Agency shows that the average salary for a Socorro teacher was just over $55,000 in the 2019-20 school year, slightly under the average teacher pay statewide and in neighboring districts.

But, four years later, in the 2023-24 school year, Socorro’s average teacher pay was 38% above the state average, and 33%-44% higher than in the Ysleta and El Paso school districts.

In an email sent to employees last week, Vasquez said the district has saved $25 million by eliminating vacant positions, cutting its operating budgets and reducing its workforce by 8% through attrition, but still needs to save another $38 million next year.

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Are other El Paso school districts considering layoffs?

While other El Paso school districts are also facing budget deficits and declining enrollment, most say they are not considering layoffs – for now.

Spokespersons for the El Paso, Ysleta and Canutillo school districts say they have also reduced staffing levels through attrition.

El Paso ISD media relations coordinator Ernie Chacon said eliminating vacant positions and its plan to close several elementary schools have allowed it to maintain class sizes and avoid layoffs.

Though attrition has saved Canutillo ISD money, communications director Gustavo Reveles said further cost reductions may be needed to address its budget deficit.

“It’s important to note that no option is excluded from consideration, as omitting potential solutions could compromise the district’s financial stability. This process may involve additional budget cuts and potential personnel adjustments,” Reveles said.

While Ysleta ISD may need to take out a loan to make payroll later this year, Superintendent Xavier De La Torre said the district is not in the same predicament as Socorro ISD.

“We are not overstaffed. We adhere to our staffing formulas. We fund our health fund every year, and we’re not in their situation,” De La Torre said.

De La Torre said he did not want to speculate when asked if layoffs may be needed in the future.

The Clint Independent School District did not respond to a request for comment.

What will happen at Wednesday’s SISD meeting

The SISD board meeting comes less than a week after employees received the email from Vasquez informing them about the planned layoffs.

The board will hear a presentation on the proposals from Vasquez, chief financial Officer David Solis and Interim Chief Human Resources Officer Celina Stiles.

A decision likely won’t be made until late into the night, after public comment is completed.

See Also 2 SISD trustees absent from duties for months following indictments Trustees Pablo Barrera and Ricardo “Richard” Castellano last attended a board meeting in June 2024 – a month after being arrested and indicted on charges related to their official roles.

Some of the recommendations being made to the board include laying off administrative staff and Career and Technical Education program employees, redesigning its elementary fine arts program and restructuring staffing for academic programs with low student participation.

The district also plans to change its staffing formulas, increase middle school class sizes from 24 to 26 students per teacher and submit waivers to the Texas Education Agency to allow it to increase its elementary class sizes from 22 to 24 students per teacher. Those changes would reduce the total number of teaching jobs in Socorro ISD.

Socorro Federation of Teachers President Veronica Hernandez said her members are scared and feel they are bearing the consequences of the board and administration mismanaging the district’s finances.

“Employee morale is already at its lowest; with this it will be devastating. Not to mention the workload. It will get worse,” she said.

The Socorro AFT plans to protest at the meeting, but Hernandez said she doesn’t have much hope and expects the board to approve the layoffs.

“I don’t think they will have a choice knowing the district’s financial status,” she said.

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[1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2025/02/18/sisd-layoffs-fine-arts-board-meeting-budget-deficit/

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