EPISD board approves new budget, staff raises
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees met Wednesday night to discuss the 2025-2026 District Budget. The board unanimously adopted a $541.2 million budget. That budget has a projected $6 million deficit. Trustees Daniel Call and Valerie Ganelon Beals were absent for the meeting and the budget vote.
During the meeting, the board voted to approve employee raises. These are the first board-approved raises since 2022. Brand new staff and those who have been with the district fewer than three years will receive a $1,000 pay increase. Those who have been with the district three to four years will get a $2,500 pay raise. Staff who have worked with the district five or more years will get a $5,000 increase. This is funded by House Bill 2, which established the Teacher Retention Allotment and Support Staff Retention Allotment. EPISD is also set to give staff a 1.5% general pay increase.
"It's very important to this board that our staff and our teachers are adequately compensated and that we honor the work that they do on a consistent basis" Hanany said during the meeting.
As part of this new plan, however, staff will also be expected to pay 15% more for health care coverage. The district will also increase its contribution to the health plan by $5 million.
EPISD originally projected a deficit of approximately $30 million for the upcoming school year. Despite lowering that projected deficit to $6 million, the 2025-2026 budget is still 2% higher than the 2024-2025 school year budget.
"We had an infusion of state funding, and the district also did a lot of work to bring that number down," Hanany explained. "The combination of the state funding and the work that the district did, we're now seeing that we have, just a $6 million deficit and possibly could be lower, depending on if we have any changes to the revenue or if we employ additional austerity measures."
The plan for this next school year will also see an increase in class size. First through fourth grade classes will have an average size of 24 students per teacher, while fifth grade classes and above can expect an average class size of 25 students per teacher.
This week, CFO Martha Aguirre took on her new role as interim superintendent. The board voted to accept Diana Sayavedra's voluntary retirement and reassignment to superintendent emeritus during a meeting earlier this month. Sayavedra, in her new role, is now helping to guide and advise the district. The board is now starting the search for a new superintendent.
Earlier this year, EPISD created a plan to close eight schools, including Lamar Elementary School. The plan aimed to save the district money and reduce the deficit. After this spring's election, which saw several new trustees take their seats on the board, the district changed direction and chose to keep Lamar Elementary open.
