8/3/2019 El Paso Times

1/2

By Gustavo Reveles Acosta \ El Paso Times

Posted: 06/20/2010 12:00:00 AM MDT

EL PASO -- The first round of layoffs in the ElPaso Independent School District could come asearly as Sept. 1.

Superintendent Lorenzo Garca said his staff hasalready frozen about 15 administrative positions,a freeze that will save the district about $1

million in salaries. These range frommidmanagement to an executive-level associatesuperintendent.

The EPISD needs to cut $18 million during thenext two years, Garca said. Department heads inthe central office have been told to beginidentifying positions for layoffs.

"We are start ing to look at at-will employees incentral office. That's where we are going tobegin," Garca said. "These are employees withno contracts, and they could be let go probablyon September 1."

Teachers and other campus professionals whomay be identified for layoffs are under contractfor the coming school year and cannot be let gountil May or June 2011.

Garca said employees with contracts who are tobe laid off will receive a letter before nextspring, telling them they have reached their lastyear with EPISD.

Employees whose duties can be performed byothers on staff are the most at risk of being laidoff, officials said. But Garca declined to saywhich departments would be targeted first.

A recommendation for layoffs will go before abudget committee on July 20. The committee willreview all proposed cuts and join theadministration in making recommendations forreductions. School trustees have the finaldecision.

They could adopt a tax rate and a budget by lateAugust.

"It's a little too early to tell we're going to cuthere or there," Garca said. "The loss of the (tax-increase) election will force us to look at justabout anything, including some cuts at thecampus level."

Voters in the EPISD on Tuesday overwhelminglydefeated a proposed increase in the property

tax. It would have generated more than $36million in local and state matching money.

EPISD officials had said the money would gotoward sa laries, construction projects andacademic programs.

Advertisement

http://www.elpasotimes.com/fdcp?12771

6/21/2010

8/3/2019 El Paso Times

2/2

The defeat of the referendum, though, promptedschool officials to say that no new programs willbe developed, and that programs such as finearts and music could be cut.

That comment from Garca did not go over wellwith certain parents, some of whom evencreated a Facebook page aimed at saving EPISDfine arts.

"They always go for the arts f irst," said NoellaMartin, the mother of two children in the El PasoHigh feeder pattern. "Why is it that they neversay they're going to cut sports?"

Another controversial announcement from theEPISD administration came the day after theelection defeat, when Garca said threeelementary schools with small enrollments wouldagain be considered for closing.

Houston, Schuster and Zavala are high-performing but low-attendance campuses.Garca's administration first announced it couldclose them last year.

Parents, teachers and school patrons rallied tokeep them open. Garca honored the public's will,but he now says the need for budget cuts willforce him to reconsider his previous decision. He

estimated that closing the three schools wouldsave $2 million.

"All these are hard decisions and I really will tryto do everything possible to keep things on thecampuses as normal," he said. "I am not taking

these cuts lightly especially the personnelreductions."

Lucy Clarke, the president of the El PasoFederation of Teachers and Support Personnel,

said her office had received many calls fromEPISD employees who were fearing for their jobs.

"We are taking the layoffs very seriously and wereally hope that they can be avoided," she said.

"It's our belief that the layoffs are not necessaryand we are willing to help the administrationidentify resources in other areas that will helpspare the jobs of the employees."

Gustavo Reveles Acosta may be reached at

greveles@elpasotimes.com; 546-6133.

Advertisement

http://www.elpasotimes.com/fdcp?12771

6/21/2010