Socorro ISD board to discuss staff reductions amid financial crisis

Update (February 19, 2025): The Socorro Independent School District Board of Trustees will meet Wednesday evening to discuss potential staff reductions.

The agenda item has a breakdown of Interim Superintendent James Vasquez's proposal. These are the recommended changes that are listed, including the jobs that could be impacted:

• Central Office (Includes all non-campus locations) 
• CTE Program Offerings 
• Elementary Fine Arts Redesign
• Elementary staffing formula changes (class size change from 22:1 to 24:1; through approval of class size waiver)
• PK/Kinder Collabs Redesign 
• Regulation EEB Staffing formula changes
• Restructure Staffing for academic programs with low student participation 
• Secondary staffing formula changes (class size change for middle schools from 24:1 to 26:1) 
• Secondary staffing formula changes (high school and middle school positions that were previously staffed above the staffing formula will now be evaluated) 

ABC-7 has spoken to teachers and staff who have voiced concerns about the proposed reductions, arguing that the district’s financial struggles should not fall on educators.  

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the District Service Center. ABC-7 will be inside the meeting and bring you the very latest updates.

You can also click here to watch the meeting live.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Socorro ISD's Interim Superintendent James Vasquez announced the district will be reducing its staff.

In a letter sent out to teachers and staff, Vasquez detailed the district's financial struggles over the past months.

"To deliver a balanced budget for the 2025-2026 school year and begin returning our district to financial solvency, we must reduce our budget by $38 million," Vasquez explained in his letter. "Sadly, this can only be achieved through a reduction of our staff. We are currently working to identify exactly how many employees will be impacted. Once this has been determined, employees will be notified, and we will do everything we can to help them through this painful process."

Vasquez, who took over the role 10 months ago, explained that enrollment in the district reduced by 1,200 students in the last three years.

Socorro ISD is currently under a conservatorship put in place by state officials.

Read through the full letter below:

SISD Teachers and Staff,

I am writing to update you on our district’s financial situation and the difficult decisions we are facing.

When I assumed this role 10 months ago, I knew it would be a challenge and that there would be difficult days ahead.  This has been very personal for me.  I’ve been part of this district on and off since 1995 – 30 years now. I love this district, I love the people in this district, and it has been the honor of my life to lead this district.  My commitment in this role has been to be open, honest, and transparent with our community and especially our employees as we work to rebuild the district.

We have worked diligently over the last year to cut costs, but still face multiple challenges, many of which are beyond our control.

In the last three years, our enrollment has shrunk by approximately 1,200 students which is the equivalent of close to $10 million in state funding.  While increased competition from neighboring school districts accounts for some of the decline, the fact is that with plummeting birthrates, there are less school-aged children in the county than there were just a few years ago. On top of that, chronic absenteeism since the pandemic has affected schools nationwide.  Our average daily attendance has decreased by more than 2%, further reducing our funding another $6 million.

To compound the issue, the state’s inaction to adequately fund public schools has created hardships for districts across the state.  School districts throughout Texas are being forced to reduce staff, close schools, and operate on deficit budgets just to stay afloat.

Over the last 10 months, we have worked feverishly to identify approximately $25 million in savings, primarily through closing vacant positions and cutting operating budgets. We have reduced our workforce by 8%, including 10% of district level staff through attrition. We committed to not affecting current employees and have done our best to minimize the impact to students.

Unfortunately, this has not been enough.  In fact, we had to take out a loan this past November to temporarily bolster our cash position and make payroll during the holiday season.  We are anticipating that we will have to pursue another short-term loan later this year.

To deliver a balanced budget for the 2025-2026 school year and begin returning our district to financial solvency, we must reduce our budget by $38 million. Sadly, this can only be achieved through a reduction of our staff. We are currently working to identify exactly how many employees will be impacted. Once this has been determined, employees will be notified, and we will do everything we can to help them through this painful process. 

This is the last thing we ever wanted to see happen here in Socorro ISD.  We have worked with our conservators, financial advisors, and other financial experts to identify ways to reduce our deficit.  Regrettably, our choices were either make these drastic cuts or become insolvent as a district. 

This is without question the most difficult time in the district’s history.  I wish I could find more consoling words, but all I can say is that I am truly sorry for the position we are in. 

Respectfully,

Jim

James Vasquez

Interim Superintendent of Schools

Socorro Independent School District