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Educators, alumni and parents urge Fabens ISD to preserve engineering endorsement and reconsider science staffing cuts
Summary
At the June 17 board meeting, alumni, teachers and parents asked the Fabens ISD board to retain the high school engineering endorsement and to reconsider a proposal to reduce the high school science staff to four teachers, citing student outcomes, lab-safety concerns and regional workforce needs.
At a June 17 Fabens ISD board meeting, alumni, teachers and parents urged trustees to keep the high school engineering endorsement and to reverse or revise a proposal that would reduce the high school science staff.
Roberto Rodriguez, a Fabens High School graduate from the class of 2020, told the board: "It is about the engineering endorsement program being taken out." He described the endorsement as a gateway that led to internships, scholarship opportunities and acceptance to competitive collegiate engineering teams.
The district also heard a formal letter read by a high school science teacher (identified at the meeting as Victoria) from the Feagin/Fabens High School science department. The letter warned that a recommendation to "reduce our department to four science teachers" would be "not sustainable" for a campus that the letter says serves approximately 615 students and offers courses including biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology and AP environmental science. The teachers said large class sizes would harm lab-based instruction and raise safety concerns, noting that the curriculum expects roughly 40% laboratory instruction.
"With only four science teachers, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to provide all required science courses while keeping class sizes at a manageable level," the letter states. The teacher also requested a prompt meeting with district leadership to discuss a more detailed plan, improved communication and options for preserving student access to advanced coursework.
The teacher and alumni pointed to regional workforce demand and higher-education pathways as reasons to sustain the endorsement. The speaker cited El Paso'area aerospace and defense employers and UTEP's growing engineering programs, and referenced TEA/Region 19 approvals for related CTE endorsements for 2028.
The presenters provided program-completion figures: the class of 2026 engineering cohort graduated 18 students; eight planned to start engineering studies at UTEP or EPCC, and six of those eight were reported as female. Teachers urged the board to base staffing decisions on enrollment data, safety rules for labs, and a clear five- to 10-year plan for CTE pathways.
Board members did not take formal action on the engineering endorsement or the science staffing proposal during the public-comment portion of the meeting. The consent agenda and an updated budget amendment were approved earlier in the session; board discussion about staffing and program continuity was left for future administrative follow-up.
The teacher requested a follow-up meeting with administrators and the board to share more detailed staffing plans and data. The district did not announce a timeline for that meeting during the June 17 session.
