Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
EPISD forecasts multimillion‑dollar shortfall under HB2; public and trustees demand itemized budget, question Lamar reopening
Summary
At a board workshop the El Paso Independent School District reviewed a fiscal forecast showing a projected FY26 deficit under House Bill 2 and a projected FY25 ending fund balance of about 66.5 days; speakers pressed administrators for an itemized budget and criticized the $3.2 million annual cost to reopen Lamar Elementary.
The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees convened a budget workshop to review the district's updated fiscal‑year 2025 forecast and the developing FY2026 budget, including the estimated impact of House Bill 2. District comptroller Maria Alonso said the district projects total general fund revenues of about $515.1 million for FY25, projected expenses of about $555.8 million, and other sources of $18,585,313 (largely property sales). Chief Financial Officer Martha Giren said the district currently projects an ending unassigned fund balance of $119.6 million, equal to about 66.51 days of reserve.
The nut of the meeting centered on prospects for FY26. Alonso and other administrators presented a proposed FY26 budget that incorporates state HB2 funding for teacher compensation but still shows a projected deficit of $11,700,000 if the draft proposal is adopted (the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
