This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
YISD Employees Submit Resignations for $5,000 Incentive
Some 120 Ysleta Independent School District employees had submitted their resignation or retirement notices as of Wednesday under the $5,000 incentive the district is offering to cut personnel costs and reduce its operating budget.
The district last week sent an email to employees offering to buy out the first 400 qualified employees to submit their resignation notice early.
Chief Financial and Operational Officer Lynly Cambern during a Wednesday board meeting told trustees the district would save $30 million in personnel costs if 400 employees were to take the incentive – but anticipates about 200 will do so. She said 117 notices had been submitted as of Wednesday. Employees have until May 29 to submit the resignation notice to qualify for the incentive.
YISD officials have not publicly discussed layoffs, but Cambern told trustees Wednesday that she won’t be able to balance the budget for the coming year without major impacts: “It’s just not possible without impacting service, without impacting employees more dramatically than it’s already going to.”
Cambern said projected revenue for the district’s 2025-26 general fund budget is about $368.3 million – about $23 million less than last year’s adopted budget that included a $17 million deficit.
Ysleta ISD and other school districts across El Paso County are grappling with enrollment declines and budget deficits. Socorro ISD earlier this month laid off more than 40 teachers, Canutillo ISD is considering laying off 15 employees, and El Paso ISD is closing and consolidating schools to cut expenses.
New school board members elected amid tumult, layo | RSS.com
The YISD board is holding a budget workshop at 6 p.m. May 21.
Cambern warned the board that it could not dip into the district’s reserve fund the coming year. “There’s no savings left. We have utilized every bit of it that we can. So the decisions and the work you’ll be doing next week is critical to the well-being of the district.”
El Paso County Commissioners Approve Debt Issuances
The El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday approved two debt issuances that will allow the county to begin work on various capital improvement projects.
The commissioners approved the issuance and sale of up to $155 million in general obligation bonds approved by voters in November for a new animal shelter, park improvements and a new medical examiner’s officer. The bonds are scheduled to be sold around June 10 and the proceeds are expected to be received by July 8.
That issuance will increase annual county property taxes by $29 on an average-value home of $200,000.
An additional debt issuance of up to $54 million in certificates of obligation bonds was approved for infrastructure such as flood control, street improvements and first-time water and wastewater services.
The certificates of obligation, a form of debt that doesn’t require voter approval, are not anticipated to increase the debt service portion of the county’s tax rate. The Commissioners Court issued the notice of intent to issue the bonds March 24, a required 45-day public notice period.
A county website where the county capital improvement projects can be tracked on a dashboard is now available.
Northeast Amphitheater Land Deal Closed, Groundbreaking in Fall
The city and Venu Holding Corp., formerly Notes Live, have closed the land deal that had been held up for months for the development of a 12,500-seat amphitheater in Northeast El Paso.
The contract was signed Tuesday morning, said Karina Brasgalla, director of the city’s Economic and International Development Department.
“We’re moving swiftly into pre-construction work, making sure that everybody on our side is aware of what’s happening and the speed they need to move at,” Brasgalla said.
The amphitheater to be owned, developed and constructed by Venu is part of a $31 million economic incentive agreement with the city. Venu will put in $100 million for the amphitheater and get 20-acres of city-owned land as part of the deal.
“Here we go!” J.W. Roth, founder and CEO of Venu, said in a news release. “We’re excited to officially plant roots and bring this unparalleled entertainment destination to El Paso.”
The land purchase and sale agreement had been a source of delay since July when an unexploded ordnance map at the Cohen Entertainment District became a source of concern to the company that relies heavily on investors to fund its amphitheater. Venu added extra insurance to address the concerns.
A groundbreaking is anticipated for this fall with construction tentatively scheduled to begin summer 2025, according to the Venu news release.
The amphitheater is expected to open in 2026.
Almost 6,000 Expected to Walk Stage in Higher Ed Commencements
The spring 2025 commencement exercises of the University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso Community College and Texas Tech Health El Paso conducted in the next few days will include some significant milestones. Between them almost 6,000 graduates could walk the stages.
Festivities start Friday with three EPCC ceremonies in UTEP’s Don Haskins Center, 151 Glory Road. UTEP will have two exercises per day on Saturday and Sunday afternoon and evening in the Haskins Center. TTHEP will have its events Monday and Tuesday at the Plaza Theatre, 125 W. Mills Ave.
Among UTEP’s more than 3,000 spring and summer 2025 graduates will be the first 19 to earn its Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree, and the largest undergraduate class in the history of the College of Science – 250. It broke the record of 240 set in spring 2021. The Department of Computer Science also will graduate a record number of undergraduates – 103. One of those students is 16-year-old Giulianna Nevarez Yee. The department’s previous record was 96 in spring 2023.
TTHEP will celebrate the inaugural commencement for the Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine at 6 p.m. Monday in the Plaza Theatre. Of those 40 students, 17 will practice in West Texas to include 12 in El Paso. The event’s main speaker will be Hunt, senior chairman of the Hunt Companies Inc., board of directors.
The institution will have 271 graduates across its four schools. The others are the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, the L. Frederick Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine.
Almost 2,300 EPCC students will receive their degrees or credentials during the college’s ceremonies at 9 a.m., and 1 and 5 p.m. Friday in the Haskins Center. The morning ceremony will include the nursing program’s 50th graduating class. The keynote speaker will be Ray Martinez, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Community Colleges.
Texas Bill Requiring Hospitals to Report Patient Citizenship Blocked
The Texas House, led by a Republican majority, was scheduled to vote Tuesday on a bill that would require hospitals to report each year how many undocumented patients they treat and the total cost of their treatment. But Democratic state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio squashed the bill by raising a point of order, or violation of House rules, successfully arguing the description of the bill did not match the actual bill.
Texas hospitals already report the costs of emergency and inpatient care of undocumented patients to the state health department, after Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order last year demanding hospitals to ask and track patients’ citizenship status.
An executive order is not law, however, meaning it could end if a future governor rescinds it or a court decides it is unlawful. The bill killed Tuesday would have codified Abbott’s order into law.
The governor’s directive threatens to remove hospitals that do not comply from Medicaid and CHIP programs. Immigrant rights advocates and physicians in El Paso have criticized the executive order for trying to turn health care workers into immigration agents and make hospitals a more hostile environment.
The order does not, however, require hospitals to ask patients for documentation to prove their status. It also does not force patients to share their immigration status. Both citizens and non-citizens have the legal right to withhold their information and hospitals must notify patients their response will not affect their care, according to Texas Health and Human Services Commission guidelines.
La Nube Increases Membership Rates
La Nube, the $72 million STEAM discovery center in Downtown El Paso, announced new membership rates this week as it nears the end of its first year of operations.
The center, which has welcomed nearly 220,000 visitors since opening in August 2024, said the updated pricing reflects the value of its hands-on learning experiences and helps support the center’s long-term sustainability and accessibility.
Memberships will automatically renew at the new rates beginning Aug. 10, 2025. For families that joined after the center’s opening day, renewals will occur on the original sign-up date at the updated rate. Prices vary by plan, with basic membership increasing from $125 to $150 and premium family memberships rising from $224 to $300. Add-on rates for additional children and adults were also adjusted. According to an email distributed to members, the changes will allow the center to continue delivering high-quality programming and maintain its mission to inspire curiosity and creativity in children of all ages.
La Nube, located at 201 W. Main Drive across from Southwest University Park, features nine learning zones that blend science, technology, engineering, arts and math through interactive exhibits.
Families who do not wish to renew their membership can opt out by emailing membership@la-nube.org.
For a full list of updated rates, visit la-nube.org.
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