El Paso ISD: Elected trustees prepare to transition into new role
In just a couple of months the El Paso Independent School District’s Board of Managers will be leaving.
The managers were put in by the state after the district was entangled in a cheating scandal.
But in May, the voter-elected trustees can finally take the reins. Now the priority is a ensuring a smooth transition.
Before Board President Dee Margo and the managers leave, they’re making sure the trustees have every tool they need to keep the district on course. But even so, this board, with the exception of some, will have little to no experience.
For the last couple of months, Margo and Superintendent Juan Cabrera have been working with the four trustees who’ve sat waiting for their turn at the dais.
“It’s in the best interest of EPISD and the children that we’re serving to have a smooth transition,” Margo said.
Along with getting board meeting packets and access any information they want, with the exception of closed session items, board members have been meeting individually with the superintendent.
“Just spending time talking about their vision and what they’re excited about and what they want to do with the district, has also made me feel real confident about the work that we can do together,” Cabrera said.
Trustee Bob Geske is confident he and the others can take over, but he’s not going to kid himself — it will be a learning process.
“We’re going to be rookies, but we’re not going to be neophytes,” Geske said. “We’re going to know what we’re suppose to do and how to do it. But it’s going to to up to us to talk to our constituents and do the right thing.”
“Trustee experience comes from whether or not you can read and interpret what you read,” said Trustee Chuck Taylor. “Everything is in writing.”
Taylor is also ready to take over, although Margo has his doubts, pointing out Taylor’s continual lawsuit against the TEA’s decision to put the Board of Managers in, and Diane Dye’s absence.
“Two of them have not been the most involved in the district,” Dye said. “One has been involved in litigation against us and the other has chosen not to spend much time with us. So we really only have two trustees that have expressed a great deal of interest in this process.”
Margo is referring to Geske and trustee Susie Byrd. But Taylor said he’s watched board meetings online and read all the reports. He said he and the other are ready to make major decisions such as amending a budget, possibly closing and combining schools, as well as making the case for multiple multimillion-dollar bonds.
There are quite a bit of candidates running for the remaining three seats. The election is May 9, the day the board of managers is suppose to leave. But in the case there’s a runoff, the managers are allowed to extend their stay until the elected board of seven is sworn in.
