El Paso ISD appoints temporary District 6, 7 board trustees

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso Independent School District appointed temporary board trustees for both District 6 and 7, as they were sworn into office Thursday night at EPISD's headquarters in Central El Paso.

For District 6, the board chose Dr. Matthew Reza, a local nurse practitioner and U.S. Navy retiree, while for District 7, they elected Brian Kelly, the vice president of Hunt Companies.

Earlier Thursday, EPSID confirmed the list of candidates running for its Board of Trustee seats for Districts 6 and 7, as their interviews for the position and the deliberation was held Thursday night as part of their agenda.

The board voted in favor of Kelly for District 7 by a narrow three to two vote over tenured EPISD educator Esther Zapata, with EPISD board president Leah Hanany carrying the deciding vote.

Meanwhile, the board voted unanimously in favor of Dr. Reza for District 6, filling two seats that were left vacant due to resignations following the board declaring financial exigency in June.

Two board members resigned after a vote led to EPISD declaring financial exigency amid budget struggles and a multi-million dollar deficit. Financial exigency is similar to bankruptcy for educational institutions.

Trustee Daniel Call (District 7) voted against the motion and Trustee Valerie Beals (District 6) was absent. They each had about a year left in their terms.

To fill their seats, the board decided to appoint new members. Other members will review the applications and vote on who will serve until the next election.

Now, Dr. Reza and Kelley will both serve their terms as board trustees untill the upcoming election for both seats is held on May 1, 2027.