EPISD Members Rally Against Shapleigh

Stop hurting our kids!

It’s the message from El Paso Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Lorenzo Garcia to State Senator Eliot Shapleigh.

Garcia says, their verbal feud has gone too far – and Thursday Garcia brought his supporters together at Coronado High School to make his point.

The back and fourth bitter debate has continued for more than a month.

Tuesday Garcia’s contract with the District was extended an extra year. But Garcia says he is tired of Shapleigh maligning his students – and their integrity.

“You’re taking it away from the kids,” a teacher said. “And that’s just wrong because they have worked.”

Worked hard is how teachers say their students earned great test scores.

Garcia says, Shapleigh is calling the scores unattainable for EPISD.

“The community is sick of it, my parents are sick of it, our district employees are tired of it,” Garcia said.

“When you question our success, you actually question them as individuals,” another teacher said.

And those individuals, EPISD students, are now defending themselves.

“We’re dedicated students and to say that we’re not…it’s hurtful to everything that we’re doing,” Sharlyn Loera, a student, said. “It just makes you like, why even try.”

“It’s an insult to us directly,” another student said.

Students say Shapleigh’s accusations are provoking their complaints.

“They’re cheating,” Shapleigh said. “They’re taking these students out of the classroom on test day.”

In just five years, test scores sky-rocketed.

In 2005, Garcia says, just 59% of EPISD students passed the math portion of the TAKS Test, a number that climbed to 84% this year.

In the science portion – the same trend – District officials report only 53% of EPISD students passed in 2005, and a much improved 82% this year.

“Saying that that resulted from cheating really takes away from their pride of accomplishment,” Marylee Jurecky, a concerned parent, said.

“We’re a recognized District and instead of celebrating that we’re having to defend ourselves -why- because the senator wants to continue this vendetta against me,” Garcia said. “I’ll tell him again – stop it, because you’re hurting the kids.”

Garcia says, he is trying to be the bigger person – and is willing to sit down with Shapleigh to resolve the issue – but says, he questions whether Shapleigh is a big enough person to respond.

The senator is holding a news conference Friday at 10 AM. Stay with ABC-7 for the latest coverage.