EPISD Administrators Address Potential District-Wide Cuts At Meeting

It was a brainstorming session born out of budget cut concerns.

On Wednesday evening, the El Paso Independent School District’s top administrators joined parents, students and staff at Coronado High School to discuss district finances and future plans.

The meeting’s organizer said some in the community were told to “prepare for the worst” when it came to the latest budget numbers and that many feared layoffs were on the horizon.

However, at the meeting, EPISD officials said it’s too early to pinpoint any specific reductions on campuses. They added they were looking at the possibility of giving pay raises to some district staff members who have not had a recent increase in salary.

EPISD’S chief business officer said due to changes in state funding, EPISD will count on about an additional $2 million this year than last. However, he said cutbacks will still happen as the district looks to keep up with growth and reinstate, expand or improve services.

The district is taking input from each campus to assess how reductions should be carried out. No solid decisions have been made.