EPISD Trustees may respond to loss of power

The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees is holding its first meeting since the state stepped in and stripped it of its power.

Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael L. Williams announced during a news conference Thursday that he was stripping the EPISD trustees of their power and appointing a five-member board of managers to oversee the district.

The process must first be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Voting Rights Act, which could take up to 60 days.

On Tuesday’s agenda, the trustees are slated to discuss and respond to the commissioner’s appointment of a conservator and four managers. There was not any information attached to the agenda to indicate what the trustees will discuss, or how they will respond.

Board President Isela Castaon-Williams told ABC-7 shortly after the commissioner’s announcement on Dec. 6 that she was disappointed by the decision. Castaon-Williams added that she felt the board of managers will encounter a “steep hill” when it comes to learning what needs to be done to run the largest school district in El Paso County. She implied that, until the board of managers is approved by the DOJ, it is business as usual in EPISD.

“We will do as much as possible, as can be done and as we are allowed to do, before this board takes over,” said Castaon-Williams, adding, “We will … continue to make the changes necessary for the school district to move forward and to come out of that terrible tragic time.”

The meeting is at 5 p.m. at the EPISD headquarters at 6531 Boeing Dr.