EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – El Paso Independent School District will pay Superintendent Diana Sayavedra over $347,000 as part of her voluntary retirement agreement with the district’s Board of Trustees, according to agreement documents obtained by KTSM.
According to the agreement documents, Sayavedra and the board agreed for her to be reassigned to the position of superintendent emeritus as of June 15, and for her to resign and retire from that position on Jan. 31, 2026.
In consideration of Sayavedra voluntarily retiring, the district shall pay her, on or before the resignation date, the sum of $347,851.39, according to the agreement documents.
According to the agreement documents, $147,851.39 shall be paid jointly to Sayavedra and her attorney. The rest $200,000 will be allocated to retirement plans.
Sayavedra may recover costs and attorney’s fees if the district fails to make payments on time, according to the agreement documents.
The agreement documents also state that both parties agreed not to sue or participate in legal proceedings against each other.
In addition, Sayavedra, in her position as superintendent emeritus, will serve as an advisor to the interim superintendent, reporting directly to the board. She will also only be acting in an advisory role and will have no administrative duties, responsibilities, or authority related to the operation of the district, campuses, programs, or other subdivisions, according to the agreement documents.
You can read the documents here:
As we previously reported, a divided board voted 4-2 on Tuesday evening, June 3, to accept Sayavedra’s retirement agreement.
Trustees Daniel Call and Valerie Ganelon Beals voted “no” as a sign of support for the superintendent. Trustee Robert Osterland abstained.
During the meeting, current district Chief Financial Officer Martha Aguirre was approved as interim superintendent. She will begin her new role on June 16.
All this comes after EPISD held a special meeting last week to discuss the employment status and duties of Superintendent Diana Sayavedra, who has led the district since January 2022, and was also given a five-year contract extension last year.
That meeting was called on the heels of the board being reformed after the May 3 election in which two trustees — Israel Irrobali and Isabel Hernandez — were defeated for re-election.
Trustees Leah Hanany and Jack Loveridge were both re-elected and installed as board president and vice president, respectively.
The first few weeks of the new board were dominated by discussion of Sayavedra’s future under the new board’s leadership.
The district still has to contend with an estimated $17 million shortfall for the 2025-26 school year.
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