SISD “Board of Education” vs. Education

Classrooms filled to capacity, restless students and overworked educators are on the horizon for the Socorro Independent School District (SISD) as the decision to place a reduction in force (RIF) of up to 300 staff members was approved at a board meeting on the evening of Feb. 19. News of this proposal was shared with SISD employees this past Valentine’s Day, claiming that the reason these cuts are necessary is because the 2025-2026 school year needs to see a reduced budget by $38 million. 

Trustee members Marivel N. Macias, Cynthia Ann Najera, Michael A. Najera, James P. Vasquez, and Alice Gardea were in attendance. Photo by Annabella Mireles.

These financial discrepancies did not occur overnight, though. SISD has had a string of funding mismanagements that led it to this point.

To recap, in March of 2024, SISD was found to have graduated at least 276 students who did not meet their requirements in 2019, paid $283,000 in unauthorized stipends and failed to disclose Trustee Paul Guerra’s connections to one of the district’s vendors. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) reported these findings following an investigation they did on the matter. As a corrective measure, two new conservators were brought on by the TEA but these actions had already sown a thread of distrust into the community and employees alike causing low enrollment numbers as well.

When a RIF was proposed as a solution to this new financial obstacle it begged the question: Is laying off 300 staff members, with elementary fine arts educators at the front of the chopping block, the only solution to this problem? Many attendees said no. 

Before the meeting even began, plenty of people expressed their concerns on the matter. Yvonne Salazar, a teacher with SISD, attended to speak to the board regarding the jobs at risk of being lost and students at risk of losing their creative outlets. 

“In the past, there have been some poor decisions (made) by past board members that are no longer sitting; they were replaced and two have not shown up,” Salazar said. “That has added to the deficit but also the lack of funding from the Texas legislation. I’ve come to talk about that and see if they can readjust and cut spending at higher levels that don't affect children directly.”

Some speakers brought up these possible areas of readjustment by challenging questionable financial investments and the salaries of those higher up. For example, the Student Activities Complex (SAC) II cost nearly $60 million to make, but individuals argued that this money could have prevented the need for such large-scale layoffs if allocated elsewhere. Others called for board members to decrease their own salaries and that of administrators as they reach upwards of $100,000 a year compared to educators and various staff members.

While this probing was common for those addressing the board, some people attended to show their support for the educators that they advocate for on a day to day basis.

“We are here to support our educators,” said Sandra Salazar, who is with the Teacher’s Union and Socorro Education Association. “We’re hoping that the district thinks more about cutting teachers because they are the most important tool that our students need.”

Sandra Salazar worries for the state of public education as a mother to students in that system and thinks that this issue goes beyond SISD. This is not an uncommon sentiment as many others in attendance brought up how current Texas legislation is creating shockwaves across the state.

Meanwhile, students who approached the podium seemed to have the most impact on the crowd as they would be the ones to deal with the consequences of this proposal. Women in Media (WIM) was able to speak with the relative of one such student who went viral on social media for speaking at the meeting. 

Many attendees included students from various SISD schools.

Speaker wears a sweatshirt that reads “Save All Employees” while addressing the trustees.

Attendee holds up a sign reading “I want equality for everyone. Fight for the truth.”

Attendees hold up signs in defense of SISD teachers, especially those in fine arts.

The room reached full capacity and was filled with concerned teachers, parents and students.

Attendees of all ages hold up signs in defense of their fine arts teachers.

Photos by Annabella Mireles.

Julia Vera, sister of David Serrano and admin assistant with the City of El Paso in District 3, prepared a speech for the board, wherein she pleaded for them to reconsider these layoffs as they will directly impact students like her brother. 

“We ask the board to not fire these teachers,” Vera said. “(David’s) teacher is affected by it, he’s one of the 300 (teachers) that are going to lose a job and without the teachers how are the kids going to learn?”

Despite the cases presented, the livelihoods at stake and the quality of students’ education on the line, the proposal of the RIF was approved. Those affected will be informed by April 1 according to multiple educators who wish to remain anonymous. While a decision has been reached on the matter, the story is ongoing as the community has yet to see the full impact of these changes.

More information on SISD can be found on its website and a recording of the Feb. 19 board meeting can be found on the Socorro ISD Board of Trustees YouTube channel. A full photo gallery from the event will be available soon.

About Me

Meagan Garcia is the copy and web editor for WIM and may be reached at gmeagan19@yahoo.com or @bymeagangarcia on Instagram.