Former Trustee Blanca Trout reelected to Canutillo ISD school board after resigning

by Claudia Lorena Silva, El Paso Matters
November 6, 2024

Former Canutillo Independent School District Trustee Blanca Trout was reelected to the board Tuesday after she resigned from her position and dropped from the race in October — after the deadline to officially withdraw her name from the ballot.

Now, she will have to decide if she wants to resign again or serve the next four-year term.

Trout, 62, has not responded to El Paso Matters’ request for comment but in October said she was resigning her seat and dropping from the race because of family matters. The self-described public servant was first elected to the board in 2016.

Canutillo ISD voters also elected Lily Maldonado and Carolina Ortega, and reelected incumbent Armando “Mando” Rodriguez, to serve on the seven-person board.

Trout garnered 10% of the vote out of 10 candidates who were vying for four at-large seats on the board. 

If she resigns, the school board will have to vote whether to appoint a replacement or hold another election, Canutillo ISD communications director Gustavo Reveles said.

If the board appoints a replacement, the appointee will serve until the next school board election in 2027, he said.

Reveles said the board is looking to potentially appoint a new member because of the cost of holding an election, which could run in the tens of thousands of dollars.

“We are in a budget deficit, which means that we are looking for opportunities to save money instead of spending money,” Reveles told El Paso Matters. “The board, obviously, would have to make that decision, but at this point, there’s been some indication of an appointment process.”

Reveles said the process would not begin until all the newly elected trustees take office Nov. 19. Board members are not paid.

This is a developing story and will be updated.