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CTE teachers tell board delayed materials, reassignments under HB 773 are disrupting classes
Summary
CTE teachers and instructors told the board Sept. 16 that course reassignments tied to House Bill 773 and persistent IT shortages have left students without curriculum and equipment, putting certification and hands‑on learning at risk.
At the Sept. 16 El Paso Independent School District meeting, multiple CTE (career and technical education) instructors used the public forum to tell trustees persistent technology outages, missing instructional materials and recent course reassignments are undermining program continuity and student certification preparation.
Ruben Cordero, an automotive instructor at the Center for Career and Technology Education, said leadership reassigned his class in response to House Bill 773 and directed him to “teach principles of transportation systems, which focuses on CDL requirements, warehouse logistics, handling, practices for goods and material.” He said that change does not align with the automotive certification and that his program is without instructional materials: “we are now in week 6 with no instructional material or ebooks … and may not receive them until November,” Cordero said in public comment. He told the board instructors were not consulted on the reassignment and that the class scheduling changes disrupted a long‑standing arrangement that supported skills progression.
Two CTE teachers described widespread technology problems that they said are harming instruction across multiple campuses. Michelle Boracek, an engineering teacher at Franklin High School, said she had to set up 30 computers herself because of IT understaffing and that “I have submitted 20, exactly 20, Zendesk tickets over the past 6 weeks” to resolve persistent software and connectivity issues. Boracek said students were sometimes limited to 30‑day trial versions of critical software and that a 3D printer would not connect because machines were not configured.
Lisa Alvarado, a CTE teacher at CCTE, told trustees the IT transition from student‑managed systems to the district IT department began in November 2024 and has not gone smoothly: “Almost a year of advanced notice should have been enough time … 7 weeks in instruction is still being impacted.” She said district IT staff described many teacher requests as “conveniences, not necessities” and criticized a perceived lack of campus visits and direct engagement by the CTE director despite prior promises from trustees to review classroom conditions.
Teachers described classroom scheduling changes that moved juniors and seniors into the same time blocks on some days and removed specialized software used for auditing and competitions. Cordero asked that instructors be consulted on course assignments, that instructional materials be delivered promptly and that scheduling practices maximize student learning.
Board members acknowledged the concerns and trustees and administrators said some follow‑up occurred: trustees personally visited campuses in some cases and an associate superintendent and a team came to inspect reported issues. Trustee comments indicated the board expected staff to resolve the short‑term tech problems and to work with CTE leadership on course alignment; no formal motion or policy change was made during the meeting.
The public comments were presented during the board’s public forum section; they did not result in immediate board votes but prompted commitments from central office staff to investigate classroom IT setups, delivery schedules for curriculum materials and the scheduling practices that instructors said affect hands‑on skill development.
