It may be a little-heard-of election, but the candidates on the May 3 ballot will shape education in the region for years to come as school districts face budget deficits that have led to layoffs, school closures and program cuts.
The uniform election in El Paso this year features trustee races in the El Paso and Socorro independent school districts, as well as El Paso Community College. Two smaller school districts – San Elizario and Anthony – also have trustee races in this election.
The Texas Education Agency a year ago appointed two conservators to manage SISD after a state investigation exposed a number of issues, including improperly graduating students and paying out unauthorized stipends. The district has been without a permanent superintendent for about a year after its former leader was placed on administrative leave and ultimately resigned.
In EPISD, trustees in November voted to close eight elementary schools next school year to address declining enrollment and budget deficits, leaving students to have to attend new schools. About 270 employees are being reassigned to other schools.
Ysleta ISD canceled its election as none of the incumbents drew challengers – meaning the incumbents have been essentially reelected for another term. The Canutillo, Clint and Fabens districts held school board elections in November, while Tornillo canceled its election at that time because the incumbents didn’t draw any challengers.
VOTER GUIDE: Key dates, who’s running, sample ballots, where to vote, more
The towns of Anthony and Horizon City and the city of San Elizario have council positions up for election on the May ballot, while the Village of Vinton and the Haciendas Del Norte Water Improvement District have propositions up for vote.
Here are six things to know about trustees and the May uniform election:
What do school board trustees do?
Trustees govern the school district, setting its vision and goals and adopting policies and procedures. They approve contracts, property sales, purchases and vote whether to hold bond elections.
As a board, they have the power and responsibility to hire, or fire, the superintendent, and approve their contracts and evaluations.
Trustees set the annual operating budget, determining how much money to allocate to different programs and initiatives – and how much to pay teachers, counselors and other employees.
They also adopt a tax rate, which determines how much to collect in property taxes.
How much are school board trustees paid? How long do they serve?
Trustees are not paid, though some school districts provide them funds for business-related travel and expenses, including for training and conferences. School district trustees serve four-year terms, while EPCC trustees serve six years.
Listen: Why El Paso school districts face layoffs, school closures
Are school board races partisan?
School board races are nonpartisan, meaning candidates are listed on the ballot without their party affiliation. Voters can vote for any candidate within their district regardless of their party affiliation.
Single-member vs. at-large seats: What’s the difference?
School districts – including the EPCC district – are divided into geographic areas (districts) and voters in each area elect their own representative. Only voters who live in that specific district can vote for the seat representing their area.
Those are called single-member districts.
Some districts have at-large trustees elected by all the voters in the school district, regardless of where in the district they live – while others have a combination of both single-member and at-large seats.
EPISD has seven single-member district seats, four of which are on the May 3 ballot. SISD has five single-member district seats as well as two at-large seats, but only four of its single-member districts are on the ballot this year.
The El Paso Community College District has three single-member trustee seats on the ballot.
El Paso school board races: Here’s who’s running in May 3 election
What school board races can I vote in?
Not sure who your trustee is or in which district race you can vote?
The easiest way to check, if you’re already a registered voter, is to visit the My Voter Dashboard tab on the El Paso County Elections Department website.
By entering your name and date of birth, you can find your voter registration status and eligibility for the current election, a list of your elected officials by precinct, sample ballots and a personalized ballot, and voting sites. You can even check your voting history over the past few years.
Here’s a glance at some sample ballots in EPCC, EPISD and SISD, as well as district maps where you can see the areas trustees represent:
- El Paso Community College: Districts 4, 5, 6 up for election
- El Paso ISD: Districts 1, 3, 4, 5 up for election
- Socorro ISD: Districts 2, 3, 4, 5 up for election
When and where can I vote? What are the voting locations?
The last day to register to vote in the May uniform election was April 3.
Early voting runs April 22-29. You can vote at any voting site during early voting. Times vary.
Election Day is May 3. You can vote at any voting site on Election Day, too. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Election Day.
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, a runoff election will be held June 7. Early voting for the runoff will be from May 27 to June 3.
You can register to vote in the runoff even if you didn’t vote in the May uniform election. The last day to register to vote for the runoff is May 8.
The post 6 things to know about May 3 school board elections in El Paso appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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