A Socorro Independent School District incumbent trustee and three political newcomers have taken the lead in their respective races in the May 3 school board elections, early voting results show.
Three of the four seats up for election appear likely to get new trustees who hope to bring improvements to a district facing a financial crisis and state oversight.
Paul Guerra, the only incumbent to seek reelection, leads his race with 45% of the early vote in District 3.
Ryan Woodcraft, who has 58% of the early vote, is highly likely to win the District 2 seat now held by Cynthia Najera, who did not seek reelection.
Charles Smith is also likely to win, leading with 56% of the early vote in District 3.
Manny Rodriguez has 50% of the early vote in District 5.
They are likely to replace Ricardo Castellano and Pablo Barrera, respectively. Neither trustee has attended an SISD school board meeting since last June, after they were indicted on charges related to their trustee roles.
SISD school board elections don’t have runoffs, as the election is based on plurality not a majority, meaning the candidates with the most votes win outright.
The election comes as SISD attempts to rebuild its depleted savings and claw its way back to financial stability after years of overspending and operating under a budget deficit. The district has already started laying off an estimated 300 employees, cutting programs and increasing class sizes in an effort to reduce its budget by $38 million.
SISD is operating under the oversight of two state conservators and has been without a permanent superintendent for over a year.
The newly elected trustees will take office as the SISD school board prepares to adopt its budget for the coming school year and restart its search for a new superintendent.
They will also have a say in whether the district will call for a voter approval tax rate election in November, which will raise a portion of its tax rate above the state-mandated limit. If approved by voters, it would allow the district to raise its maintenance and operation tax rate and generate up to $28 million in revenue.
In early voting:
District 2 (Roughly north of Vista del Sol and east of Loop 375 and Zaragoza Drive)
- Ryan Reid Woodcraft, 41, network integration planner for JANUS Research Group: 58%
- Phillip Shawn Ollis, 47, self-employed consultant: 42%
District 3 (Roughly north of Pebble Hills Drive east of George Dieter Drive)
- Jose Alonzo Jr, 62, patient care technician at Las Palmas Medical Center: 15%
- Joshua Carter Guerra, 39, paralegal: 21%
- Charles William Smith, 34, owner of MVS Body Shop: 56%
Pablo Caldera is no longer running, but did not file in time to remove his name from the ballot.
District 4 (Roughly east of Loop 375 south of Vista del Sol Drive down to the Lower Valley and Socorro)
- Caryn Gonzalez, 46, policy coordinator for the El Paso Independent School District: 30%
- Paul Guerra, 57, territory manager for Insco Distributing Inc.: 45%
- Raul Villalobos, 42, orthopedic physician assistant, poultry farmer and business owner: 24%
District 5 (Roughly east of George Dieter Drive to Loop 375; and south of Montwood Drive to I-10 and south of I-10 to Nevarez Road between Loop 375 and Horizon Boulevard)
- Cindy Hernandez, 39, director of strategy and analytics for Emergence Health Network: 35%
- Manny Rodriguez, 25, government affairs manager for the El Paso Chamber of Commerce: 50%
- Gary Gandara, 47: 14%
Newly elected trustees will take office during a board meeting on May 12. Trustees are unpaid and serve four-year terms. The seats are nonpartisan.
The seven-member board governs the 47,300-student district, sets its vision, oversees the superintendent, adopts the annual operating budget and sets the tax rate. The current board adopted a budget of $479.6 million with a $22 million million deficit for this school year.
The post Early voting: Guerra, Woodcraft, Smith, Rodriguez lead in SISD school board elections appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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