The Socorro ISD Board of Trustees took a series of routine and substantive votes at its April 16 meeting. Major outcomes included approval of a modified consent agenda, adoption of employment contracts, calendar updates for 2025–26, device‑program procurement items, and policy updates. The board also approved a nonbinding letter of interest to El Paso Electric’s Texas Business Solar Program.

Votes at a glance (key items approved):

- Consent agenda (with exceptions): Motion to approve consent agenda with specific items pulled for discussion passed (motion by Mrs. Najera; second by Mr. Guerra). The board voted to approve the consent agenda while removing certain line items for separate action.

- Charter bus services (item 7C2): Approved after public comment (mover Mrs. Najera; seconded; voice vote recorded as passed). Trustees discussed efficiency and asked staff to study whether district-owned buses could reduce subcontractor costs.

- Policies GKA (student code adjustments for electronic vaping devices) and FNG (parent complaint/grievance hearing logistics): Board approved amendments allowing the district to post conduct policies and permitting parent grievances to be scheduled at special meetings to avoid late-night hearings; policy approvals were unanimous on voice vote.

- Device-program procurement (DNA redesign; item 7F1): Board approved the technology plan (see separate article). Motion to approve carried by voice vote.

- Administrator and teacher employment contracts for 2025–26: Board approved administrator contracts and teacher contracts as presented; the lists were verified by Human Resources and will be supplemented if additional hires are processed before the next meeting.

- Low-attendance waiver (district waiver for 01/08/2025): Approved. District administration explained the waiver will exclude the low-attendance day from ADA calculations for funding purposes due to weather-related late start.

- 2025–26 calendar tweaks: Board approved adding staff-development/planning days (Oct. 14, 2025 and March 24, 2026) and a district spring break closure during the second week of the spring intercession in March 2026. Administration said the changes align with neighboring districts and reflect employee survey input.

- Initial letter of interest for El Paso Electric Texas Business Solar Program (item 8d): Approved (motion by Mr. Guerra; second by Ms. Gardella). The LOI is nonbinding and places the district in the utility’s queue for account-level analysis.

Procedure notes: motions were typically made from the dais and recorded by the board secretary; most votes were taken by voice and recorded as ‘Aye’ or ‘Opposed.’ Where roll-call tallies were not read into the record, the board president declared items passed following the voice vote.

Ending: Several items pulled from consent were discussed and approved individually. Trustees asked administration for follow-up analyses on charter-bus subcontracting, financial-report presentation improvements, and continued public posting of corrected TAPER data. Additional items requiring board-level action (such as any binding solar-service agreements) will return to a future agenda.