El Paso school districts, including Ysleta Independent School District, are facing serious deficits because of dwindling school enrollments across El Paso. Texas, with a population of about 30.5 million, has experience declining populations in one-third of the counties in Texas, according to estimates produced by the Texas Demographic Center, a state agency. El Paso, one of the largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in Texas, has not followed the trend of Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, whose populations have grown. Instead, El Paso has experienced very little population growth in recent years. This lack of population growth has led to less students entering the local school district.
The drop in school students has led to school district layoffs and school closures in recent years. The Socorro Independent School District recently voted to lay off 300 teachers and staff for next year to resolve its budget deficit. After 230 employees chose to voluntarily resign, the Socorro school board laid off the remaining 43 employees earlier this month. Socorro is not alone.
Yesterday, the Canutillo School trustees voted to not renew employment contracts for eleven of its teachers. The layoffs are designed to help Canutillo deal with a $2.3 million budget deficit. The Canutillo school board must still cut costs by eliminating programs to help address the deficit.
The school closures and budget deficits also impacted the makeup of the El Paso Independent School Board in last month’s elections where two trustees who supported school closures were ousted from office and replaced by new trustees that voted to reverse the decision to close Lamar Elementary School to address the budget shortfalls. The vote this week to reopen Lamar did not address its impact on the school district’s budget. The school district was facing a budget shortfall of around $15 million, but the vote on Lamar will likely raise the deficit to $17 million.
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Ysleta Independent School District
The Ysleta Independent School District (YISD), like the other school district, is facing a $19 million deficit next year. The school district is offering 400 teachers a $5,000 buy out if they choose to resign their positions. The board hopes this will help with the deficit.
School board trustee, Chris Hernandez reached out to us with a statement about the deficit the school district is facing.
According to Hernandez, “over the past several years, this board has invested heavily in our staff – raising salaries and providing stipends to recognize their hard work.” Hernandez added that the school district has taken steps this month to address the deficit by approving the sale of two vacant properties and launching the voluntary resignation incentive projected to save $15 million. Hernandez also said that the district has “identified over $10 million in projected spending cuts.”
However, Chris Hernandez added that even with the cost cutting measures, the “financial situation remains deeply concerning.” According to Hernandez, the school district has lost 6,500 students.
The projected deficit for Ysleta is $45.6 million, according to him. Hernandez told us that he voted against the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 budgets because “they relied on unsustainable deficit spending.” However, Hernandez says the work he and other school board members have done recently “shows that we are serious about turning things around,” but that “recovery won’t happen overnight,” adding that “with focus, discipline, and a commitment to equity, it’s within reach.”
Hernandez told us that his commitment is to “continue to advocate for a holiday stipend for hourly employees only, those who often earn the least and don’t receive annual step increases,” because it is “a targeted way to help the most vulnerable while being mindful of our financial reality.”