Latest news with #LeahHanany
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
El Paso ISD board takes no action on superintendent after marathon meeting
Editor's note: Video is from our 10 p.m. newscast. The EPISD board was still taking public comment as the newscast was happening. 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.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
El Paso ISD board reverses direction, won't close Lamar Elementary
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Lamar Elementary School is not going to close after all. The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 5-2 Tuesday night, May 20 to reverse its earlier decision to close Lamar Elementary. Back in November, a divided school board voted 4-3 to close eight schools over two years. Lamar was slated to be one of them. Since then, two of the trustees who voted in favor of closing schools were defeated for re-election — previous Board President Israel Irrobali and Isabel Hernandez. Now a new board — led by new Board President Leah Hanany and Board Vice President Jack Loveridge — put the measure back before the board to decide on whether to reverse its previous decision and spare Lamar from the chopping block. Trustees Daniel Call and Valerie Ganelon Beals voted against the move to reopen Lamar. Even after voting to close schools, EPISD was facing an estimated $17 million shortfall for the 2025-26 school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
El Paso ISD board to consider reversing closing of Lamar Elementary
EL PASO, Texas (EL PASO MATTERS) — Just a week after newly elected El Paso Independent School District trustees were sworn in, they may reverse the previous board's decision to close one of eight elementary schools set to shutter its doors in the next two years. The EPISD school board is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday to vote whether to keep Lamar Elementary School open. 'The reconsideration of closing Lamar Elementary reflects the responsibility this new board has to make decisions that align with academic outcomes, equity and community trust,' board President Leah Hanany told El Paso Matters on Friday. 'Lamar is an A-rated, two-time National Blue Ribbon School serving a majority socioeconomically disadvantaged population, and scored in the top 1% nationally on a survey measuring student belonging.' The scheduled vote comes after a major shift in the board's power dynamics when four aligned school board candidates won their respective elections May 3 and ousted former trustees Israel Irrobali and Isabel Hernandez, who voted in favor of the closures. Hanany has been critical of the metrics used to decide what schools were recommended for closure to address declining enrollment by closing schools and improving the ones that remain open — an initiative known as Destination District Redesign. The plan was put forward by Superintendent Diana Sayavedra and her administration, and approved in November 2024 on a 4-3 vote. Only two trustees who supported the plan remain on the board – Daniel Call and Valerie Ganelon Beals. Beals expressed criticism at the idea of reversing the planned closure of just one school in Hanany's feeder pattern. 'Our staff, central office, put in so much work into DDR, that just for it to be reversed for one school,' Beals told El Paso Matters Friday. 'I feel like it would be a big slap in the face to do that. I feel like some of the trustees on the school board are using their position to please their constituents, not caring about how to leave the district once their term is up, because it's just a political stepping stone for them.' Call could not be reached for comment. Hanany said close to 180 elementary school-age students live within a half-mile of Lamar Elementary, while other campuses that were set to remain open had less than a few dozen. 'Voters gave this board a mandate to shift away from top-down decision-making and focus on students,' Hanany said. 'I would say, especially in times of fiscal constraint, we have to be even more strategic. And by placing Lamar back on the agenda, I think it's signaling that this board is willing to revisit harmful decisions and refocus our priorities where they belong.' If the board votes to reverse the closure, it will need to consider the costs of operating the school and potential increases in public school funding as it prepares its budget for the coming school year. Without any changes to the school closure plan or school funding, EPISD expects to have a $17 million deficit for the 2025-26 school year. Hanany said she is not aware of any plans to close another school in place of Lamar Elementary and that the board 'will be revisiting every available resource to ensure that we remain committed to being fiscally responsible.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Union-backed candidates sweep EPISD board races amid low turnout, shifting power
Power is shifting on El Paso Independent School District's governing board. Candidates backed by the El Paso Teachers Association, a union, swept the election — two incumbents, Leah Hanany in District 1 and Jack Loveridge in District 3, secured easy victories, while newcomers Mindy Sutton and Robert Osterland soared to win in the District 4 and 5 races, respectively. Despite the resounding victory for the four EPTA-backed candidates, the election was plagued by low turnout. Only 9,368 eligible voters, less than 3%, cast ballots in an election that will determine public school leadership in a time of wild uncertainty. With EPISD already voting to close eight schools and the state approving a billion-dollar private school voucher scheme, which will send hard-fought public-school dollars to private schools, the stage is set for dramatic change for public school leaders, administrators, teachers and students over the next few years. The candidates who claimed victory in El Paso's election rejected funding from pro-charter school and pro-voucher organizations, unlike those who had the backing of the El Paso American Federation of Teachers, which saw all its candidates toppled. Though El Pasoans — at least those who showed up — seemed to state with their ballots that they want strong public schools, the road ahead will undoubtedly be rocky. Sutton, elected Saturday to represent District 4, was unavailable for comment. Hanany: 'We must deliver' Hanany, first elected to the EPISD board in 2021, claimed a decisive victory in the District 1 race, ending the night with just over 59% of the vote. "I'm grateful to the voters for their continued trust and clear all for change district-wide," she said in a text message. "This outcome reflects a mandate to prioritize academic achievement, ensure transparency in decision-making, and center the voices of our communities in how we govern." Looking ahead to her next term on the school board, Hanany hopes to see fiscal responsibility "redefined." "It cannot mean cuts for the sake of balance sheets," she said. "It must mean aligning our resources with what actually improves outcomes for students: well-supported teachers, safe campuses, robust academic and extracurricular programs, and responsive services for students with unique needs." As for the specter of school vouchers, Hanany believes El Paso voters sent a "clear message" that they want "stronger public schools, real academic progress and local leadership that puts students and families first." "(Voters) rejected the disinvestment and top-down decision-making that have failed our children for too long," she said. "Now, we must deliver." Hanany emphasized that the core job of a school district is to educate students. "If academics are declining, then the system is failing at its most basic responsibility — no amount of financial posturing can excuse that. No narrative of 'efficiency' makes up for failing our students." Loveridge: 'Dedicated to protecting and strengthening public education' Loveridge was appointed to the EPISD board of trustees last year to represent District 3 after his predecessor, Josh Acevedo, was elected to the El Paso City Council. Saturday's election marks the beginning of his first full term on the board. Loveridge walked away with 72% of the vote Saturday, claiming a decisive victory over his opponent, John Ponce De Leon. While Loveridge said he was "delighted" to be elected to the post serving Central El Paso and the Austin High School feeder program, he also expressed excitement over the other three candidates elected to the board. Jack Loveridge, a candidate for the District 3 seat on the El Paso Independent School District's board of trustees, speaks during a candidate forum at Austin High School on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. "Our victories show that the voices of parents, teachers and community members will be heard and that new board leadership and active oversight is on the way," he said in a text message. "We are dedicated to protecting and strengthening public education as a right for all El Pasoans, no matter where they grow up." Looking ahead, Loveridge said he is focused on working with administrators to improve academic outcomes across the whole school district and implementing high-quality program within the Austin system. "We are now a C-rated district, and reversing that downward trend must be our top priority," he said. "Properly incentivizing and respecting educators must be a focus to that end, balanced with a firm commitment to financial stability and efficiency, particularly at the highest levels of administration." With Gov. Greg Abbott's signature on the state's voucher plan, there's little school leaders can do to stop the expected funding shortfall that will arise as a result, but Loveridge noted it's still an issue that has to be contended with. "Of course, the state vouchers plan presents EPISD with a significant challenge," he said. "That said, we must face it square on with a serious commitment to cutting unproductive spending across the board." "We must ensure that public money is being invested wisely, justifying spending by positive impact upon academic outcomes, student wellbeing, and college and career readiness," Loveridge continued. "After all, that is the central purpose of a public education system. El Paso taxpayers must be respected with their dollars kept as close to our students as possible." "With or without the voucher plan, that should be our guiding principle as a public institution." Osterland: Election 'sends a powerful message' Osterland represents one of the two new faces on the EPISD board. He claimed 55% of the vote in Saturday's District 5 election and unseated incumbent Israel Irrobali, who previously served as chair for the board. "I'm honored to have been elected and I'm deeply grateful to the voters who put their trust in me," Osterland said in a text message. "Winning this race feels both humbling and energizing. I ran because I am very concerned about the direction of public education. It is fragile right now." More: El Paso County voters to decide key school board seats, city races amid low early turnout For Osterland, the top priorities of his first tenure on the school board will be ensuring El Paso's schools are "safe, well-funded and focused on student success." "That means investing in great teachers, supporting student mental health, and making sure every child, regardless of background, has the tools they need to thrive," he said. "I also want to strengthen transparency and build stronger connections between families, educators, and district leadership. I believe the community has lost faith in leadership and we need to bring integrity back to the school board." Osterland said that Saturday's election "sends a powerful message" that El Pasoans remain committed to strong public schools despite Abbott's ill-conceived voucher plan. "We know that when public funds are diverted to private institutions, it undermines the very system meant to serve all students," he said. "I plan to work with other board members, families and education advocates to ensure public dollars stay in public classrooms, where they can do the most good." Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@ This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: EPISD board sees shift as voters back public school advocates
