About a fifth of the El Paso Independent School District’s elementary campuses may shut their doors permanently by the fall of 2025.
Superintendent Diana Sayavedra and her administration recommended closing 10 of the district’s 48 elementary schools during a special Board of Trustees meeting Thursday.
Now the district plans to hold a series of community meetings to present the recommendations before the school board in late November votes on which schools to close.
The process, which EPISD has called “Destination District Redesign,” aims to address declining enrollment while bringing new programs to the district and creating a more equitable education for students.
Talk of the potential closures has brought mixed reactions from community members throughout the district, ranging from confusion over the process to disappointment over a perceived lack of transparency.
Here are some things to know about the potential changes coming to EPISD:
Where will students go if their school closes?
EPISD is an open enrollment district, meaning students can enroll in any of its schools regardless of where they are located.
Though parents can take their children to any school they choose within the district, EPISD administrators have recommended where students affected by the potential closures should enroll.
Here is a list of recommended schools for each campus closing, and other nearby schools within the same feeder pattern:
Carlos Rivera Elementary (Coronado)Recommended school: Western Hills Elementary (Environmental Science Academy)
Murphree pre-K through 8
Hillside Elementary (Burges)Recommended school: Coldwell Elementary (STEM Academy)
Hawkins Elementary
Lamar Elementary (El Paso)Recommended school: Mesita Elementary (World Language Academy)
Newman Elementary (Andress)Recommended school: Bobby Joe Hill pre-k through 8 (STEAM Academy)
Torres Elementary
Barron Elementary
Nixon Elementary
Park Elementary (Chapin)Recommended school: Canyon Hills Elementary (STEM Academy)
Powell Elementary
Logan Elementary
Putnam Elementary (Coronado)Recommended school: Murphree pre-K through 8 (Accelerated Campus)
Western Hills Elementary
Green Elementary
Zach White Elementary
Rusk Elementary (Austin)Recommended school: Crockett (Fine Arts Academy)
Clendenin Elementary
Coldwell Elementary
Moreno Elementary
Stanton Elementary (Irvin)Recommended school: Moye (Accelerated Campus)
Whitaker Elementary
Sunrise Mountain Elementary
Duran Elementary
Travis Elementary (Austin)Recommended school: Clendenin (STEAM Academy)
Crockett Elementary
Coldwell Elementary
Moreno Elementary
Zavala Elementary (Jefferson)Recommended school: Cooley Elementary (STEM Academy)
Will students get transportation to their new schools?
Yes, with some limitations. EPISD plans to increase the number of bus routes it offers from 74 to 116 to ensure students can be taken to school.
EPISD plans to separate the district into four transportation zones — West, Northeast, East Central and South Central, which it calls Zones of Excellence.
Students can go to any school in the district, but buses will only transport students to and from schools within their zone.
Zavala Elementary School, a Jefferson High School feeder in South Central El Paso, was rated as “Poor Low” in El Paso ISD’s Facility Condition Study. The study is part of the “Destination District Redesign Project,” which will determine whether campuses should be renovated or closed. (Luis Torres/El Paso Matters)
What improvements is EPISD making?
As part of the redesign process, EPISD aims to make several improvements to the schools that will remain open.
This includes implementing new academic programs with specialized curricula that focus on various fields of study.
These programs include:
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Academy — offers classes that aim to prepare students for future careers in STEM.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math Academy — offers classes that aim to prepare students for a career in STEM while integrating the arts.
Fine Arts Academy — offers classes focusing on different aspects of the arts and opportunities for students to showcase their talents.
Environmental Science Academy — offers clubs and classes that aim to encourage students to care for the environment and make a positive impact.
Accelerated Campus Excellence — focuses on reading, writing and math.
World Language Academy — offers dual-language and Chinese classes.
The district has already added new programs to some of its campuses. As of the 2023-24 school year, Aoy, Cielo Vista, Whitaker and Zach White elementaries got an Extended Day Learning Center, which offers before and after school care to students.
Moreno and Green elementaries also got Montessori programs over the last two years.
Now, EPISD plans to bring the Accelerated Campus Excellence program to Barron and Hart elementaries and an extended Day Learning Center to Torres Elementary.
EPISD’s Franklin High School in west El Paso. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
Will there be a bond election?
EPISD has been preparing to bring a bond election to voters some time in 2025 or 2026 to replace evaporative air conditioners in schools with refrigerated air, upgrade security features and improve facilities.
The school board voted in October to contract IN2 Architecture Inc. as a bond consultant, costing up to $2.09 million.
Sayavedra has said that the bond will happen independently, but parallel to any school closures.
The school board will have to vote on whether to take a bond proposal to voters, how much the district may seek, and what projects to include in the bond.
Will any teachers or staff lose their jobs?
EPISD administrators said none of the district’s employees will lose their jobs if their schools close.
The district will hold informational meetings with teachers and staff starting this month.
In December, EPISD plans to conduct an initial review of its staffing allotment for the 2025-26 school year.
Administrators said they plan to hold job fairs in January to give employees from schools that may close an opportunity to apply at a nearby campus.
The district plans to have all those teachers placed in a new position by March.
Why is EPISD closing schools?
District leaders say they are considering closing schools in large part due to declining enrollment and falling birth rates.
Even though EPISD previously closed schools in 2018, many of its campuses are still at a low capacity. Some such as Lamar Elementary are at 30% capacity.
Texas schools are funded on a per-pupil basis, meaning the fewer students enrolled in a campus the less funding it gets.
School campuses with low enrollment may not bring in enough revenue to cover all their expenses and often have to rely on the funds brought in by bigger schools in the district.
District leaders said the closures would save EPISD $28 million but have not provided a breakdown of those savings.
When are the community meetings?
Newman Elementary, 10275 Alcan St.5:30 p.m. Oct. 23
Putnam Elementary, 6508 Fiesta Drive5:20 p.m. Oct. 24
Carlos Rivera Elementary 6445 Escondido Drive10 a.m. Oct. 26
Travis Elementary, 5000 N. Stevens St.1 p.m. Oct. 26
Rusk Elementary, 3601 N. Copia St.5:30 p.m. Oct 28
Hillside Elementary, 4500 Clifton Ave.5:30 p.m. Nov. 6
Zavala Elementary, 51 N. Hammett St.5:30 p.m. Nov. 7
Lamar Elementary, 1440 E. Cliff Drive5:30 p.m. Nov. 12
Stanton Elementary, 5414 Hondo Pass Drive10 a.m. Nov. 16
Park Elementary, 3601 Edgar Park Drive1 p.m. Nov. 16
The post 7 things to know about El Paso ISD school closures appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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