This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics throughout El Paso.
Ysleta ISD Considers Loan to Cover Payroll Gap
The Ysleta Independent School District may need to borrow up to $25 million later this year to cover its payroll expenses in the event that it depletes its cash reserves as it attempts to operate under a budget deficit.
Superintendent Xavier De La Torre is considering taking out a “bridge loan” to pay district employees in August while it waits for the state’s scheduled payments.
“What happens is we receive money from the state of Texas, not necessarily for enrollment numbers, but for average daily attendance numbers. Those infusions do not happen every month,” De La Torre told El Paso Matters this week.
De La Torre said the state does not send payments to school districts in April and in August. Though the district will have enough in its reserves to pay employees in April, he said they may not have enough in August.
“In September, when the revenue comes in, we would pay back that debt and move forward,” he said.
This comes as school districts all over El Paso face financial hardships due to declining enrollment numbers and stagnant state education funding.
In June, the YISD board approved a $408.2 million budget with a $17.2 million deficit for the current school year.
In the past, the district had enough reserves to cover its expenses in the months the state didn’t send a payment but had depleted its reserves after operating under a deficit for a third consecutive year.
De La Torre said this is partially because the state has not increased the basic allotment it gives school districts based on student attendance – $6,160 per student, which has not been changed since 2019.
Additionally, the district’s enrollment numbers have declined from over 41,500 students during the 2016-17 school year to 33,900 during the current school year. District staff expects enrollment to drop by another 1,000 students during the 2025-26 school year, according to a presentation given to the board Feb. 12.
“It had less to do with decisions made here, and more to do with the decline in enrollment, with the significant increase in inflation. Those two factors made it difficult to give the board a balanced budget,” De La Torre said.
Jaime Esparza Steps Down as U.S. Attorney
Jaime Esparza, the former longtime El Paso district attorney, has stepped down as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, the office announced Tuesday.
Appointed by former President Joe Biden in October 2022 and confirmed by the Senate two months later, Esparza is among 94 U.S. attorneys throughout the country who are being replaced by the Donald Trump administration. U.S. attorneys are political appointments, and most incoming presidents appoint their own choices to the position, particularly when the new president is from a different political party.
Esparza served as the district attorney for the 34th Judicial District of Texas in El Paso from 1993 to 2020.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman, who has been with the district more than 30 years in various roles including chief of the El Paso Division, is now serving as the acting U.S. attorney for the district.
The Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties and has divisional offices in El Paso, Del Rio, Waco, San Antonio, Austin, Pecos-Alpine and Midland-Odessa.
KTSM to Livestream Funeral for Maj. Gen. Edward Greer
KTSM-TV will livestream the memorial service for retired Army Maj. Gen. Edward Greer of El Paso, who died last month at age 100.
The livestream will be available on KTSM.com at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21.
Visitation for Greer is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday at Funeraria del Angel Restlawn, 8817 Dyer St., with memorial services at 1 p.m. Graveside service with full military honors will be at 2:30 p.m. at Fort Bliss National Cemetery West Shelter, 5200 Fred Wilson Ave.
Greer was one of the Army’s first Black generals and moved to El Paso following his retirement from the Army in 1976.
SISD to Hold Community Meetings on Superintendent Search
The Socorro Independent School District is holding a series of community meetings it calls “listening sessions” for the public to discuss its priorities for the district over the next five years – including finding a new superintendent.
The district has been without a permanent leader since March 2024. James Vasquez was appointed as interim superintendent in April while the district conducted a national search. The search was supposed to be completed last fall, but was extended until after the district held community meetings.
All meetings are at 6 p.m. on the following dates and places:
- Tuesday, Feb. 25: Eastlake High School, 13000 Emerald Pass Ave.
- Wednesday, Feb. 26: Americas High School, 12101 Pellicano Drive
- Thursday, Feb. 27: Montwood High School, 12000 Montwood Drive
- Monday, March 3: Pebble Hills High School, 14400 Pebble Hills Blvd.
- Tuesday, March 4: El Dorado High School, 12401 Edgemere Blvd.
- Wednesday, March 5: Socorro High School, 10150 Alameda Ave.
- Thursday, March 6: SISD District Service Center Board Room, 12440 Rojas Drive
You can also take a short online survey on the attributes you want to see in the next superintendent here: SISD Community Listening Survey.
El Paso Public Libraries Recognized by State Association
For the sixth consecutive year, the city of El Paso’s Public Library system has been awarded the 2024 Achievement of Excellence in Libraries Award by the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association.
The library was recognized for its commitment to reaching underserved and special populations while also developing innovative marketing strategies and fostering collaborative partnerships to expand its impact, according to a city news release.
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“This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our incredible staff, who go above and beyond to support the educational, recreational, and cultural enrichment of our community,” Director of Libraries Norma Martinez said in a statement.
Of the 542 public libraries in Texas, only 102 received this distinction in 2024.
El Paso Public Libraries programs and services include the Summer Reading Club, Día de los Niños / Día de los Libros, enhanced library cards and passport services, English as a Second Language and personal development classes, Storytime, Seed Libraries and Adult High School programs, among others. Information: www.ElPasoLibrary.org.
UTEP Teams with VITA to Offer Free Tax Preparation Services
People who meet certain criteria can have their income taxes prepared for free by University of Texas at El Paso students from 1 to 4 p.m. most Fridays through April 11 at the GECU Terrace at Sun Bowl Stadium, 2701 Sun Bowl Drive.
UTEP, in collaboration with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, will help people with annual incomes below $65,000 and without virtual assets such as bitcoin. The public will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Each session should take 60 to 90 minutes to prepare, review and e-file returns on-site.
The university is the only El Paso site certified to help non-resident foreign scholars such as international students and researchers who cannot use standard tax software such as TurboTax due to their residency status. Organizers have set aside three dates – March 21 and April 4 and 11 – for foreign scholars only.
This is the 10th year that UTEP collaborates with VITA, which is funded by an Internal Revenue Service grant and administered through GECU. The IRS also trains the volunteer preparers to ensure accurate returns.
UTEP students, mostly accounting majors, who participate in this program can receive course credit hours. Sarah Robertson, assistant professor of accounting and information systems, oversees the UTEP tax preparation program that provides real-world tax experience to back up classroom instruction.
“My students go from learning accounting in a textbook to suddenly using what they’ve learned to help people,” Robertson said. “That’s when they realize, ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.’”
The UTEP-VITA program will be closed Feb. 28 and March 14 and 28. Information: freetaxeselpaso.org/locations.
City of El Paso to Host Climate Action Plan Meetings
The city of El Paso is hosting a series of meetings starting next week to let El Pasoans share thoughts on what the city’s plan to counter climate change should look like.
The first of the open house-style meetings will be from 5 to 6:45 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Boys & Girls Club of El Paso, 801 S. Florence St.; while the second is set from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 5 at the Pavo Real Recreation Center, 9301 Alameda Ave.
The city’s effort to craft a climate action plan stems from a local election in November 2022, when voters approved issuing a $5 million bond to fund the creation of a climate plan. El Paso is looking to join Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston – as well as other Southwestern cities that are implementing climate action plans. The plans differ by city, but generally lay out broad strategies to reduce air pollution, address excessive heat and rising average temperatures and conserve water.
In El Paso, which experienced the hottest years on record here in 2023 and 2024, stakeholders have suggested the city’s climate plan should aim to do things such as curb urban sprawl and reduce car usage, ensure the adoption of more household rooftop solar panel systems, address pollution from commercial trucks at the city’s international crossings and preserve the natural local environment, among other goals.
The city has partnered with 11 other local governments, utility companies and business groups under the Chihuahuan Desert Climate Collaborative. The collaborative last year sought over $500 million from two grants from the Environmental Protection Agency, but instead the city won two smaller grants totaling $45 million.
The El Paso City Council in early 2024 agreed to pay a firm $1.2 million to help craft the wide-ranging climate plan. Yet the status of the plan today is unclear.
Nicole Ferrini, who led El Paso’s climate planning effort until last fall, abruptly resigned from her role with the city. The city has not hired a replacement for Ferrini. And it’s uncertain how much of a priority a regional climate action plan is for the newly-elected mayor and five City Council representatives who took office in January.
Still, the city’s stated plan for the months ahead is to continue to host meetings, gather feedback, craft the climate plan and then begin implementing policies in November.
UT System OKs Tuition Break for NM Residents to Attend UTEP
New Mexico residents who want to attend the University of Texas at El Paso may get a tuition break starting with the fall 2025 semester after the University of Texas System Board of Regents voted this week to approve an amendment to the tuition rules.
The change means that New Mexico residents will pay only $30 more than the statutory rate for Texas residents. The amount per credit hour varies based on program and level.
The rate change now goes to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for approval.
If approved, the change would bring UTEP in line with some of the system’s other campuses that enroll students from neighboring states within 100 miles of the institutions, said Archie L. Holmes, UT System executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.
For example, the University of Texas campuses in Dallas, Tyler and the Permian Basin as well as Stephen F. Austin State University have similar agreements with residents of Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana. These previous agreements were made effective for the spring 1996 semester.
The Texas Education Code allows the THECB to let state institutions charge reduced tuition rates to nonresidents who live in bordering states within the 100-mile rule. THECB Commissioner Wynn Rosser expects to review the request and make his decision within 30 calendar days of receiving the UT System’s request.
UTEP begins its fall 2025 registration March 24.
City Names UTEP Grad New Purchasing Director
The city of El Paso has appointed longtime city employee Claudia Garcia as the new purchasing director.
Garcia, a University of Texas at El Paso graduate, was hired to work in the purchasing department in 2010 and is recognized for advancing procurement strategies and improved processes and efficiency, according to a city news release. She was promoted to assistant director in 2019.
She was originally hired to work in the city’s engineering department. In her role as purchasing director, Garcia will be in charge of the city’s Cooperative Purchasing Expo, vendor management, and the Hiring El Paso First Program, among other responsibilities.
The city has been without a permanent purchasing director since Bruce Collins left the position in 2021. K. Nicole Cote served as the managing director until being named deputy city manager Jan. 31.
City Manager Dionne Mack, in a news release, said Garcia was the ideal choice to lead this critical department.
“Her leadership will continue to strengthen our procurement processes and ensure that the City of El Paso remains dedicated to transparency, efficiency, and fiscal responsibility,” Mack said.
Garcia has a master’s degree in finance and bachelor’s degree in business administration with concentrations in management and international business from UTEP. She also has Certified Public Procurement Officer and Certified Professional Public Buyer certifications from the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council.
She starts in her new position Feb. 23.
Duranguito Neighborhood Back on City Council Agenda
The City Council on Tuesday is expected to vote whether to issue a request for qualifications for plans to sell and redevelop 17 of the city-owned properties in the Duranguito neighborhood of Union Plaza.
That’s where the city had planned to build the arena that voters scrapped during the Nov. 5 general election.
The RFQ will seek a developer or buyer that is willing to implement adaptive reuse requirements and register buildings that are independently eligible for historic preservation, among other stipulations requested by the former majority City Council. The bid is expected to be released mid-March if approved by the current, largely new City Council.
Responses would be due 60 days later followed by a 60-day evaluation period. The city anticipates presenting a final qualified bidder by the fall.
The city will sell the properties at fair market value, with the proceeds going toward paying the outstanding debt associated with the original $180 million signature bond project. The city purchased the properties for about $13 million.The city abandoned the Duranguito site for the arena In January 2023 after a years-long legal battle tied the project up in courts.
The post YISD considers $25M loan for payroll gap; Esparza steps down as U.S. attorney; SISD sets community meetings, other El Paso news appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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