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El Paso ISD board issues notices for dozens of staff amid public pleas to spare psychologists and outreach specialists
Summary
After hours of public comment urging the district to protect school psychologists and student outreach specialists, the El Paso ISD Board of Trustees returned from closed session and approved motions to issue proposed termination notices for dozens of contracted positions, while trustees and staff described placement efforts and workforce supports for affected employees.
The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees on June 15 approved a series of motions to propose termination notices for multiple contracted and probationary staff as the district continues a budget reduction process.
The actions follow more than an hour of public comment from employees, parents and community members who urged trustees to spare positions that provide mental‑health support and do outreach to chronically absent students. "I'm here this evening to appeal to you to keep as many mental health professionals on staff as possible so that we can continue to help protect our most vulnerable students," said Dr. Lindy Eisen, a school psychologist with EPISD.
Superintendent Dr. Brian Lusk told the board the personnel recommendations are the product of a process to reduce contracted positions from an initial 94 to 55 and to prioritize placing affected employees into vacancies when possible. "The team has worked extremely hard to find best fit for all team members who may be in this position as we've been going through this financial exigency process," he said. Chief Cortez in human resources said the district will submit a "mass claim" to the Texas Workforce Commission and partner with Texas Workforce Solutions Borderplex to help employees apply for unemployment benefits and training.
Public commenters described concrete services they said would be lost. "The SOS role is the connection between students, families, campuses, and the district," said Amanda Gonzalez, a six‑year student outreach specialist, describing a team of 11 who do home visits, attend truancy hearings and reconnect students to campuses. Veteran outreach specialist Julian Selenas said outreach work also protects district revenue by re‑enrolling students: "Every child is worth saving, even one that we bring back."
A community member, Roger Scott Brown, warned the board that cutting frontline staff that locate students "is not going to fix that at all," arguing the district needs revenue solutions rather than cutting positions that bring students back to class.
Board motions read aloud by Trustee Leverage listed dozens of individual teachers and staff whose one‑year probationary or term contracts were proposed for termination. The board recorded votes on several items; most motions carried unanimously (5‑0) and one item concerning high‑school testing coordinators passed 4‑1, with Trustee Sutton recorded as voting no. Trustees said they would seek greater transparency on right‑of‑first‑refusal procedures and provide periodic briefings on the impact of reductions to special‑education support.
What happens next: the motions authorized the superintendent to deliver notices of proposed termination; affected employees may receive notices and the district said it will continue recruiting placement opportunities and provide workforce resources through the summer.
