By Molly Smith, El Paso Matters November 11, 2022 The El Paso Independent School District is moving to suspend or fire an administrator who was arrested on Thursday for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman. The EPISD Board of Trustees will vote on the superintendent’s recommendation to either terminate Steve Clay’s contract or suspend him
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Trustee Freddy Klayel Avalos is stepping down from the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees effective immediately and suspending his campaign for City Council, he said Wednesday. His announcement comes weeks ahead of the Nov. 8 election, when his name will be on the ballot along with six others running for the District
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The Canutillo Independent School District board censured longtime Trustee Blanca Trout on Tuesday night after she was accused of knowingly violating school board policy and Texas election law during Canutillo High School’s homecoming parade. Trout drove her truck, which was draped in banners bearing her name, in the parade, even after she had been told
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Weeks after a state district judge admonished the El Paso district attorney for not filing any motions in the Walmart shooting case even though she wants the case to go to trial next year, her office filed a handful of motions Friday. These include notice of the addition of two new state prosecutors on the
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The El Paso Independent School District board is expected to vote on increasing teachers’ salaries by 5% — a pay boost that comes with dire possibilities, namely a projected $29 million budget deficit and no employee raises for the next two years. The board is set to consider adopting the 2022-23 school year operating budget
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El Paso area high school students performed far better on this year’s state standardized math exam than last year, an encouraging sign for educators after 2021 scores revealed significant pandemic-driven learning loss. Results from this year’s spring high school algebra tests released Thursday show that 49% of Region 19 test-takers scored on grade level, up
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Ricardo Castellano, a Socorro Independent School District trustee, is under investigation by the Texas Rangers for allegations of official oppression, according to an investigation report. Castellano’s wife, Gabriela, is also under investigation for allegations of stalking, according to the report, which the Texas Department of Public Safety released to El Paso Matters via an open
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New Mexico’s Santa Teresa port of entry had seen an increase in northbound commercial vehicle traffic until late Tuesday morning, when Mexican truck drivers — fed up with increased wait times at El Paso’s international bridges — staged a brief protest similar to those blocking Texas border crossings. Until then, truckers from Ciudad Juárez and
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EL PASO, Texas — Since the start of the pandemic, El Paso students have been able to eat breakfast and lunch at no cost. That’s slated to change next school year if Congress doesn’t take action — and soon. School nutrition waivers that cover meals for all students regardless of income expire in June. Congress
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EL PASO, Texas — Diana Sayavedra had a front row seat to the challenges of running a large school system, particularly one in the public eye.In the late 1980s, she watched as her father, then president of Laredo State University, faced mounting pressure from city and business leaders for the school to join the University
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CANUTILLO, Texas — Canutillo Independent School District will return an LGBTQ-themed book to its high school library following a formal review into a parent’s complaint that the graphic novel was inappropriate because it contained sexually explicit content.A nine-member committee of educators, librarians and parents voted 8-1 Tuesday for author Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer: A Memoir”
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EL PASO, Texas — The Nov. 2 uniform election takes place Tuesday.It’s an off-year for many political offices, but voters will be asked to weigh in on eight Texas statewide ballot measures. Some El Paso County residents will also be able to select their next city of Socorro representative or decide whether to support Canutillo
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AUSTIN, Texas — The first draft of a new Texas House map gives El Paso County less representation in the state Legislature’s lower chamber and pits two lawmakers who refused to end House Democrats’ quorum break against each other. The proposal by Texas Republicans, who have majorities in the Texas House and Senate, removes House
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EL PASO, Texas — Texas Republicans released their first draft of a new state congressional map that reshapes El Paso’s two congressional seats.Fort Bliss would move from the 16th Congressional District to the 23rd Congressional District under the proposal unveiled Monday, which is expected to go through multiple revisions before state lawmakers approve it.U.S. Rep.
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EL PASO, Texas — A divided 8th Court of Appeals struck down much of El Paso’s indoor mask mandate Friday, but left it intact for schools and city buildings. Public school students, teachers and staff will continue to be required to wear face coverings indoors. City employees and visitors to city-owned buildings and facilities must
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UPDATE: After a two-hour special meeting that included public comment and an executive session discussion behind closed doors, the Socorro Independent School District Board of Trustees took no action “regarding mask policies for all students and personnel” – which was the lone item on their agenda. You can watch the entire meeting in the video
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EL PASO, Texas — The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees have directed their internal auditor to investigate other district contracts after “concerns” came up during a separate internal audit of academic services contracts undertaken by the former superintendent. RELATED STORY: EPISD’s top academic, operations officials put on leave amid audit That decision
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EL PASO, Texas — Two top El Paso Independent School District administrators were put on leave ahead of Wednesday evening’s board meeting to discuss an internal audit. El Paso Independent School District Deputy Superintendent of Finance and Operations Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria and Chief Academics Officer Tamekia Brown were placed on administrative leave with pay earlier this
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EL PASO, Texas — South El Paso residents may get a knock on their door from Beto O’Rourke on Saturday. The former El Paso congressman is one of dozens of volunteers who were canvasing the city’s 79901 Zip code to register residents for the Covid-19 vaccine. Volunteers in north Texas were doing the same in
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EL PASO, Texas — The race and ethnicity of almost 90% of the people inoculated in El Paso County is unknown to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the state agency tasked with distributing the Covid-19 vaccine. The lack of clear data makes it impossible to determine whether the lifesaving vaccine is being distributed to
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EL PASO, Texas — The El Paso Police Department has put up security barricades around its regional command centers on Election Day as part of what appears to be precautions against election-related unrest. “We have contingency plans in place for any major incidents and are prepared to respond accordingly,” said Sgt. Enrique Carrillo, an EPPD
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