Dr. Jose Espinoza named new SISD superintendent
In an unanimous vote, the Socorro ISD Board of Trustees confirms Dr. Jose Espinoza as superintendent.
Espinoza replaces Dr. Xavier de la Torre, who left earlier this year for a new position in California. Espinoza is scheduled to start Sept. 10th, but said he’ll be in the office as early as Thursday.
Espinoza, his wife and son are just settling in their new El Paso home, but he’s ready to get to work. Espinoza is now the boss one of the largest growing school districts in El Paso, and although his job comes with a stealthy salary, he said he can relate to inner-city kids.
“Not only the best district in El Paso, not only the best district in the state of Texas, but the best district in the country,” Espinoza said at the SISD board meeting.
Espinoza has big goals for SISD’s 44 campuses and 45,000 students.
“Long term goals is to make sure every child that graduates college and career-ready,” Espinoza said.
The new superintendent also has a lot of pressure.
“We’re going to be needing a strong leader, a visionary leader,” said Socorro Education Assn. president Glenda Hawthorne.
Hawthorne was just one of the many people who had input on his selection. She said with 16 years of teaching and administration experience under his belt, Espinoza should be able to handle what’s coming.
“We want someone who is going to bring us together and move our district forward through rough waters that may be approaching because of No Child Left Behind and because we’re about to have a new Texas legislature come into being in 2013,” Hawthorne said.
Five-point-four billion dollars in Texas education budget cuts may affect Socorro schools in the future, but not Espinoza’s salary.
He’ll be making $240,000 a year, with $1,300 in monthly allowances — just about $15,000 shy of what former superintendent de la Torre was racking in.
“With the time he was associate superintendent with Houston ISD, it’s a wealth of experience and he’ll bring that here an help us continue to progress,” said board president Michael Najera.
Najera said he’s worth nearly quarter of a million dollars. After a rigorous vetting process with extensive input from the community, Espinoza was hand-chosen to deliver.
“I’m familiar with a border town and as a child growing up in poverty, I can relate to and I have first-hand knowledge of what Socorro ISD are going through,” Espinoza said.
Espinoza earned an Educational Leadership doctorate from Sam Houston State University. His most recent role was the school improvement officer in Houston ISD. He signed a three-year contract, but said he’s here for the long haul.
