Following a contentious four-hour meeting of the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees, 94 jobs were cut after the district declared financial exigency.
The vote, held during a special session on Thursday, June 4, at the EPISD headquarters located at 1014 N. Stanton St., confirmed austerity measures many expected. The 5-1 vote had only District 7 Trustee Daniel Call voting nay. District 6 Trustee Valerie Beals was not present.
What started as cordial became impassioned as Call requested MoakCasey, an Austin-based public school consulting firm the district hired to conduct an audit this month, to review the three options in financial exigency presented to the board by Deputy Superintendent David Bates.
“The decisions that had to be made were required to get us to a better financial position,” EPISD Superintendent Brian Lusk said. “The actions the board took this evening were aimed at getting our district to the right size with a cut to the total number of salaries to 8% to 9%. We’ve got to work hard to make sure we stick to a balanced budget.”
Lusk noted that teachers who were laid off would have the right of first refusal should new positions become available.
Call’s motion to postpone the vote by 24 hours for the firm to review which option was most feasible failed. Trustees, along with Lusk, backed the one with the deepest cuts.
Lusk said the loss of some teaching positions will not impact current student-to-teacher ratios.
What did EPISD approve in the financial exigency vote?
Under the plan, the district projected $526,227,322 in revenue, $530,558,889 in expenditures, a $4,331,567 deficit, and a fund balance of $56,024,745.
The goal of the cost-cutting measures was to address the district’s spending an estimated 89% of its budget on salaries since 2005, leading EPISD to admit it lacks sufficient cash reserves and prompting a “course correction.”
If the district regains fiduciary stability, it could emerge from financial exigency by October, Bates contended.
“This was a decision we had to make in the best interest of the students we serve,” EPISD Board of Trustees President Leah Hanany said. “We have tremendous financial challenges from the state level as well as from declining enrollment and local challenges. Financial exigency allows us some budget practices that will allow us to right the ship financially.”
For the district to avoid any further difficulties, it must be around 80%, argued MoakCasey, an Austin-based public school consulting firm the district hired to conduct an audit this month.
For that reason, the 54 teaching positions and 40 contract positions were cut to reduce salary costs.
EPISD will officially take action on personnel cuts on Monday, June 15. The following day, on June 16, the district will approve the budget. In August, the board will unveil a budget dashboard to ensure transparency in the financial process.
“One of the items today was a bi-monthly public report that has consistent checkpoints in place where we can see where we’re at financially,” Hanany said. “In addition to that, we’ll be moving to monthly budget reports and a public dashboard so we can be as transparent as possible.”
‘No clear answers’ for those downsized
Valerie Ortega, a student evaluator for the district, is among those now grappling with the uncertainty of unemployment.
“I’m one of the teachers losing their jobs today,” Ortega said. “My job isn’t just to evaluate students, but to make sure the district follows the law. When student services are not provided, it is my professional responsibility to identify and report that, and I’ve done so numerous times to my supervisors. Then yesterday, I was informed I would be let go.”
Ortega also contended she has been the subject of retaliation by the district for reporting such instances through negative performance reviews.
“Yesterday, I was told I was losing my job, but no one was able to tell me why,” Ortega said. “I was given two different reasons as to why I was losing my job. I believe employees deserve transparency and I’m asking for a clear explanation supported by facts and documentation.”
Norma De La Rosa, president of the El Paso Teachers Association, underscored the impact that cutting positions will have on students and families in the district.
“As it is, employees are already stressed and scared about their future,” De La Rosa said. “They are also angry because it has been brought to our attention late last night that employees are being told the five criteria in district policy in deciding cuts will not be used, but only one will be used. Positions are being renamed and reshuffled to keep certain individuals.”
De La Rosa called such changes “unfair and wrong.”
She called on the board to handle the cuts strictly in accordance with EPISD policy, with clear methods to save positions at the district’s central office.
Kara Cervantes, president of the El Paso chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, noted some policies must be followed in the event of a reduction in force.
“We’ve always asked for transparency when it comes to the criteria of who will be cut and if that’s not given to us, then that would be against the law,” Cervantes said. “There’s people that are responsible for this and we want to see consequences for those actions.”
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: EPISD cuts 94 jobs in approved financial exigency vote
Reporting by Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
