El Paso ISD approves one-time $300 retention stipend for hourly employees
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Summary
At a Dec. 9 special meeting the El Paso Independent School District board approved a one-time $300 retention stipend for eligible hourly employees, funded primarily from the general operating fund, after public comment urged broader inclusion.
The El Paso Independent School District board on Dec. 9 approved a one-time $300 retention stipend for eligible hourly employees, voting 7-0 to disburse payments on Dec. 15 to employees hired on or before Dec. 1 who hold permanent employment status.
The stipend proposal, presented by Chief Human Capital Officer Patty Cortes and Comptroller Maria Alonso, was estimated to cost about $748,000: roughly $620,000 from the general operating fund, $99,000 from food-and-nutrition funds and $29,000 from other funds including federal grants. Alonso told trustees the payment would appear in the next paycheck on Monday, Dec. 15, for those meeting the eligibility criteria.
Public commenters and union leaders urged the board to expand the stipend. Ross Moore, president of El Paso AFT, said the decision to limit the payment “was not received well by the two thirds of your employees who were excluded,” warned of an ongoing retention problem and cited what he said were about 117 teacher openings and increases in TEA waivers. Norma De La Rosa, president of the El Paso Teachers Association, said personal letters from employees showed the stipend mattered while urging the district to reexamine expenditures and prioritization.
Trustees described the district’s constrained finances and the drivers of the narrower eligibility. Trustee Kahl said he was “surprised that we’re financially able to do any retention bonus,” noting an anticipated property closing that helped make the payment feasible. Trustees also emphasized the board’s intent to seek efficiencies and address compensation in next year’s budget cycle.
After discussion, Trustee Leveridge moved to approve the stipend as presented; Trustee Kahl seconded. The board voted unanimously to approve the payment, recorded as 7-0.
The board record shows the stipend is intended as a one-time retention measure; trustees said broader compensation changes would be considered as the district addresses budget constraints in the coming year.
