Members of the Board of Trustees govern and oversee the school district, set the vision and goals for the district, oversee the superintendent (who they can fire and hire), and adopt the annual tax rate and operating budget. This is an unpaid, nonpartisan position. The board comprises seven members. The district currently enrolls 49,000 students and adopted a budget of $542 million with a $18.5 million deficit for this school year.
EPISD District 4 encompasses the areas around Chapin and Irvin High Schools.
Who’s running for this seat?
Mindy Sutton, 44, is a senior instructor at the Otero County Detention Center
Isabel Hernandez, 64, is retired and EPISD District 4 trustee
Juan M. Duran, 57, is a special education teacher
Candidate Questionnaires
Candidates were asked to limit their responses to 100 words. Responses have been lightly edited for grammar.
What is your short- and long-term vision for the district, and how would you measure success?
Mindy Sutton: My short-term vision for EPISD is to provide more transparency and organization when it comes to communicating with parents and community members. During the DDR process, I felt like there was a huge lack of transparency when it came to communications and feedback. My long-term vision for EPISD is to gain more “buy-in” when it comes to families choosing our district to send their children to school. I’d like to explore why people are choosing other districts and get families back to EPISD.
Isabel Hernandez: Our short term vision is to continue to operate within our proposed budget and be the best ISD in our region. Success in our district is measured by the students who graduate to be productive citizens.
Juan M. Duran: 1. Over the course of the term, lower taxes; 2. A “no” vote on any bond proposals; 3. Deep cuts in all areas, vendors, consultants, central office personnel, move educational specialists to campuses, repurpose of empty buildings, reduce all departments to minimum needs to accomplish the mission, consolidate departments, move central office to repurposed buildings, sell all land and sell both central offices; 4. Success measures are successfully implementing the above without RIFs.
What experience do you have with curriculum, overseeing budgets, or setting and implementing policy?
Mindy Sutton: I have extensive experience with curriculum, as I was a public school teacher in Texas for 20 years. I am very familiar and comfortable with policy when it comes to public schools. I don’t experience managing or overseeing large budgets, but I do have experience managing a smaller budget in my current position as an education supervisor.
Isabel Hernandez: Our board’s main responsibility is to pass a functional budget and develop policies to provide the best conditions for success. The curriculum is left to the experts in their specific fields of education.
Juan M. Duran: 1. As a teacher, I created, implemented and prepared curriculum at the state level for ESL/Bil programs; 2. As a former EPISD administrator, budgets used to be more campus-based, from personnel allotment, annual supplies, using various budgets such as local, Title I, etc. Many times, we established campus policy and of course implementing district policy, state policy and federal policy in different areas, programs and services.
What are your budget priorities and how would you balance funding those priorities while keeping property taxes in check?
Mindy Sutton: I’d like to see EPISD analyze the budget and see where they can save money. I feel like there is unnecessary spending, like contracts with outside firms for consultation, that may be unnecessary. I also think it is imperative to look at the attendance policies and see how they can connect with parents and families in order to make sure kids get to school more often, resulting in more money for the district.
Isabel Hernandez: Our budget is based on actual expenditures and past experiences show how historical data details how we can function within our means. Our children are prioritized in all programs. Property taxes are contingent on legislative actions and we must adjust our budget accordingly on a yearly basis.
Juan M. Duran: 1. Work to not cause RIFs, through deep cuts in all areas; 2. Zero-based, line item budgeting to promote transparency, readability for the public and to reduce waste; 3. Right-size all central services, and support and push services closer to teachers and students at campus level.
What strategies do you propose to make your district schools a more attractive option for families who might be thinking about enrolling their children in other school systems?
Mindy Sutton: As a former teacher in EPISD, I saw that many families didn’t feel connected due to lack of communication. I think it is imperative that the district make communication a priority in all aspects. It’s also imperative that EPISD’s teachers’ voices are not just heard, but that they are encouraged to be a part of conversations when big decisions are being made. Teachers should be involved in conversations about curriculum, attendance and discipline, just to name a few.
Isabel Hernandez: Our district will continue to attract students to come and stay in our schools because we are in a good financial position for all our operations. EPISD will continue to capitalize on our strengths, which are the teachers and administrators.
Juan M. Duran: Current state of political affairs at the national, state and local level forces us to change priorities. Public ed is being attacked at all levels. The Education Department is dismantled, locally, vouchers’ value is $11,500 per pupil and approximately $6,200 per pupil for public schools, school boards are being filled with people running to affect policy that may cause public school failure to profit their supporters. Public schools better serve all students in many areas and have comprehensive offerings.
How would you promote transparency and accountability in board decisions?
Mindy Sutton: If I am elected, I will commit to meeting with parents, families, students and community members on a regular basis in order to hear their concerns and ideas. I would also urge my fellow board members to do the same.
Isabel Hernandez: I will continue to attend all EPISD meetings to provide our superintendent with the tools and resources to make our district the best in our region.
Juan M. Duran: All full proposals presented to the board will be fully disclosed in English and Spanish. All budgets will be zero-based and line item for full transparency. A policy of fines for vendors post award if it is disclosed and proven if any inappropriate actions are discovered, not meeting benchmarks or inappropriate undisclosed relationships to any EPISD board members or EPISD personnel.
What’s the next big challenge for EPISD following the first round of school closures this fall and how would you address it?
Mindy Sutton: The next big challenge for EPISD when it comes to school closures is definitely the transportation issue. There wasn’t a solid plan in place when they proposed to close the schools and I believe that they will struggle to provide adequate transportation to the families affected by the school closures and it will negatively affect those families in the 2025-2026 school year.
Isabel Hernandez: EPISD will follow through with the data provided to know how we will proceed with closing some middle schools.
Juan M. Duran: The continued efforts to dismantle public education, we must begin austerity measures to ensure EPISDs survival while still providing a proper education to our students.
The post Q&A: EPISD District 4 Trustee Candidates in May 3 Uniform Election appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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