Questions Of Validity Of Appointments For EPISD Committee

EL PASO, TX. – There are some questions this Tuesday about the wayEPISD trustees will appoint two people to fill the two empty seats on the board.

The appointment process, according to school board officials, is supposed to consider a recommendation provided by a third party committee. But the person appointed to head that committee has many concerned. “To call herself the chair might bring up the question to the community of ‘Hey, is this really an honest, open process here where the community is really going to be listened to or is it going to be controlled by the board,” said Frances Wever.The El Paso Federation of Teachers President Frances Wever supports the appointment process to fill in trustee seats for District2 and 3.

However, she says the news of board member Lisa Colquitt-Munoz chairing the committee might alter public perception. Colquitt-Munoz said in a brief phone conversation that the committee she will be chairing will be made up of several different stake holders inlcuding military peronnel. Still, Board vice-president Sergio Lewis, who opposed the appointments in the first place, says this seems like a bad decision and people should be aware of it.

“I think people need to keep their eyes wide open, and listen to anything, and everything that is going on, because as far as I’m concerned we’ve politicized the process,I don’t think it’s right,I think it’s wrong,” Lewis said. ABC-7did try and contact Board President David Dodge several times, and got no answer.EPISD will have a school board meeting Tuesday night and ABC-7 plans on asking more questions at that time.