El Paso ISD budget review committee urges cost savings, board hears stipend proposals amid $22.9M projected deficit

Board President Intervale convened a budget workshop where members of El Paso Independent School District's Budget Review Committee (BRC) summarized their year‑long review and staff presented updated budget projections and proposed changes to stipends.

The BRC, which Martha Aguirre, the district chief financial officer, said included roughly 70 ongoing participants, reported top cost‑saving ideas — energy conservation, supplies and inventory controls, and reduced travel via virtual training — and revenue strategies focused on attendance improvement, truancy consequences and employee recognition. "We had different perspectives," said Erica Castano, a BRC facilitator for connecting languages. "We come from different backgrounds and coming together to come up with ideas to to help you with our budget."

Why it matters: Aguirre told trustees the district currently projects $506,000,000 in revenue for next year, $23,000,000 less than the current year, while proposed operating expenditures are $528,000,000, leaving a projected deficit of $22,900,000. The board will consider a final budget and compensation proposals at the June 3 workshop.

BRC composition and process: Jorge Saenz, director of special education, described the committee as broadly representative,…