Superintendent Diana Sayavedra’s fate hangs in the balance as the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees prepares to discuss a possible firing or voluntary separation agreement and appointment of an interim superintendent Tuesday with little public explanation.
While board Vice President Jack Loveridge, who placed the item on the agenda along with board President Leah Hanany, said he could not discuss confidential personnel matters, he pointed to concerns candidates brought forward ahead of the May 3 election about the district’s plan to close eight elementary schools in response to declining enrollment.
The process, dubbed Destination District Redesign, was proposed by Sayavedra and approved by the previous board with a 4-3 vote.
“I think you can connect the dots from the issues that we were all concerned with in the campaigns. What we’ve been talking about through Destination District Redesign back in October, November. I think you can see a sort of big picture regarding the condition of EPISD, and that is not to say anything particular about Ms. Sayavedra, that it is simply to speak, generally, to what we would like to see the district become,” Loveridge told El Paso Matters.
The election brought major changes to the board’s dynamics after Mindy Sutton and Robert Osterland defeated two of Sayavedra’s supporters, while Loveridge and Hanany won their reelection bids, creating what appears to be a 5-2 majority.
Just days after taking office, the new board voted 5-2 to keep Lamar Elementary School open and to limit Sayavedra’s hiring powers.
This is the second time in a week the board will discuss Sayavedra’s future with the district, following a lengthy closed-door discussion May 27 on the superintendent’s employment, where the board took no action.
If Sayavedra leaves EPISD, the board will need to embark on a search for a new superintendent while attempting to address declining enrollment and a budget deficit.
After the Texas Legislature approved a bill that would give $8.5 billion in funding for public schools, EPISD estimated that it will approve a $550 million budget with an $11 million deficit, according to budget workshop material set to be presented Tuesday.
Without the funding boost, which still needs final approval from the governor, the district expects to have a $22.7 million deficit.
The district also expects to end the 2025 fiscal year with over $119.6 million in its reserves.
The board president and a former employer
Hanany has faced speculation from her critics – provided without evidence – that she is attempting to hire her former employer, Marlin Independent School District Superintendent Darryl Henson, who was a candidate during the 2021 superintendent search when Sayavedra was hired, which she has denied.
“I am not attempting to hire a former employer at El Paso ISD. That is simply baseless and without any merit,” Hanany said in a statement published to social media Monday. “These rumors are being spread by the same people who used divisive, fear-based campaign rhetoric to hold onto control of this public institution. They’ve latched onto these lies as a lightning rod, weaponizing privileged information to attack my character instead of focusing on the real issues our community needs us to address.”
“There is absolutely no truth to this idea that we’re considering anyone from Marlin ISD, that is a blatant fabrication,” Loveridge said. “The trickiest component of this has been that so many of these things have been brought up and circulated by one of our fellow board members, which is very disconcerting, because it’s really not respecting the rules that we have to follow as trustees.”
Some, including Trustee Daniel Call and El Paso Federation of Teachers President Ross Moore, have also claimed Hanany attempted to hide her connection to Marlin ISD when she worked for the district.
Call could not be reached for comment.
Hanany said she disclosed her connection to Marlin ISD with the firm in charge of the superintendent search and then-board President Al Velarde on Sept. 28, 2021, and the rest of the board on Nov. 2, 2021.
Henson was later identified as one of four finalists on a list leaked to KTSM on Nov. 11, 2021.
Hanany recused herself from voting Nov. 15, 2021, when Sayavedra was selected.
Velarde told El Paso Matters he does not recall Hanany telling him she worked with Henson, nor how he became aware of their connection.
“I recall having some knowledge of Hanany knowing an applicant among the many applicants we received for the position. During our evaluation of the applications, I don’t recall connecting Henson to Hanany in any way until either it came out publicly or after the names of the final four were leaked to the community and it became an issue with the process,” Velarde said.
The post Little known on EPISD board’s plan to discuss firing or exit agreement with Superintendent Diana Sayavedra appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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