EPISD votes to close 8 elementary schools amid financial crisis
EL PASO, TX (KVIA) — The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 4-3 to approve the closure of eight elementary schools during a five-and-a-half-hour meeting Tuesday night.
Trustees Isabel Hernandez and Daniel Call, Board Vice President Valerie Ganelon Beals and Board President Israel Irrobali supported the closures. Trustees Leah Hanany, Alex Cuellar, and Jack Loveridge opposed the decision.
During the meeting, more than 60 parents, students, and community members voiced their opposition to the closures. The main concerns were neighborhood impacts, longer commutes for students, and the loss of high-performing schools.
“You have consistently ignored these kids year after year, and now, instead of righting the wrongs, you want to shut down their school and make them walk an hour to their new school,” said one community member during public comment. “That is discrimination, plain and simple.”
The closures are part of the district's Destination District Redesign plan, addressing a projected $32.2 million budget deficit for the 2025–26 fiscal year. EPISD says the closures will reduce the deficit by nearly 66%. They say by consolidating, the district will be able to redirect resources to improve classroom instruction and academic programs.
The first phase of closures will take effect in the upcoming, 2025–26 school year, closing Carlos Rivera, Lamar, Newman, Putnam, Rusk, and Zavala Elementary Schools. Travis and Stanton Elementary Schools will follow in the 2026–27 school year.
