El Paso ISD board takes no action on superintendent after marathon meeting
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — After more than five hours of public discussion and then meeting behind closed doors, the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees took no action on the future of Superintendent Diana Sayavedra during a marathon meeting on Tuesday, May 27.
EPISD board to review status, duties of superintendent
The special meeting was called to discuss the employment status and duties of Sayavedra, who has led the district since January 2022. She was also given a five-year contract extension in January 2024.
The special meeting was called on the heels of the board being drastically reformed after the May 3 election. Two trustees — Israel Irrobali and Isabel Hernandez — were defeated for re-election.
Trustees Leah Hanany and Jack Loveridge were both re-elected and installed as board president and vice president, respectively.
Speaker after speaker defended Sayavedra and said that any decision to possibly fire her would have been unjustified and politically motivated.
Some also warned that such a move would destabilize the district and force it to spend money on a buyout.
The district is estimating that it is facing a $17 million shortfall for the 2025-26 school year.
The board heard public comment, much of it an impassioned defense of Sayavedra.
It then went into executive session.
After nearly two hours in executive session, the board re-emerged and took public comment again at about 10 p.m. It also briefly discussed the status of the superintendent as a board.
Speaker after speaker defended Sayavedra's performance and leadership as the district navigates a budget shortball.
Trustee Daniel Call said that Hanany was leading the effort to oust Sayavedra 'not because of poor performance or scandal, but because she refused to bend the knee' to Hanany.
Call also said that during the board's search for a superintendent Hanany advocated for a candidate who was a 'crony' and that is what she sought to do again if she was successful in ousting Sayavedra.
Trustee Valerie Ganelon Beals said she had 28 letters from teachers and staff supporting Sayavedra.
Hanany made a brief statement before adjourning the meeting without the board taking action.
She accused Call of 'lying' and violating a non-disclosure agreement from the superintendent search. She said she would not violate the same agreement and said that made it impossible to defend herself.
She then adjourned the meeting without the board taking action.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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