The El Paso Independent School District is expected to vote Wednesday on the process to appoint new members to the Board of Trustees for Districts 6 and 7, which were left vacant after Daniel Call and Valerie Ganelon Beals resigned earlier this month.
Under the plan, the district expects to begin taking applications from Thursday through 4:30 p.m. July 27.
The new trustees will take their seats just before the board is expected to vote Aug. 11 whether to put a bond proposal of up to $450 million on the November ballot. The bond would be used to upgrade outdated heating and cooling systems and renovate the district’s aging facilities.
Trustee Jack Loveridge, who is on the ad-hoc committee that designed the process, said the positions are open to anyone who qualifies.
“We’re looking for people who are committed to public education in El Paso, and have a good sense of what that means for the Franklin and Coronado feeder patterns,” Loveridge said. “Their background or line of work is of less importance to their understanding of the community in which they live.”
Candidates must be at least 18 years old. They must have resided in Texas for at least 12 months and within the trustee district they plan to serve for at least six months. Employees who work with the district, convicted felons and registered sex offenders are ineligible to serve.
Loveridge said the process will be similar to the one used to appoint him to the board in 2024.
“It’s essentially the same process. I think we condensed it by maybe five or six days,” Loveridge said.
EPISD plans to hold candidate forums Aug. 3-5 at Franklin and Coronado high schools. They will be moderated by their respective student councils and journalism programs.
During the forums, applicants will answer questions submitted by community groups, including parent-teacher association members, district employees, teachers’ unions and neighborhood associations.
The board will hold a special board meeting the same week of the forum to interview candidates and make its final decision on the appointments.
The appointed trustees will need to run for reelection in May 2027 if they wish to continue serving on the board. Trustees are not paid.
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