Latest news with #SISD
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Socorro High School counselor named finalist for Texas School Counselor of Year
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A Socorro High School counselor has been named one of the six finalists in Texas for the annual School Counselor of the Year award, according to the Socorro Independent School District on Thursday, May 15. Cristina Alvarez, a counselor from Socorro High School, is one of the six finalists for the 2025-2026 Lone Star State School Counselor Association Texas School Counselor of the Year award. 'I'm really humbled, and I love that I get to represent the hard work that my colleagues and I do at Socorro High School,' Alvarez said. 'It's not just me. There are eight of us (counselors at Socorro High School) and being a finalist lets me represent the work that we all do daily, serving our students with social and emotional support and academically.' According to Socorro ISD, Alvarez has been a counselor for 11 years, including seven years with the school district. Alvarez has been the counselor for the early college program at Socorro High School for three years, and prior to that, she was a counselor for Salvador H. Sanchez Middle School for four years, SISD said. 'I decided to move to the high school because of my students in middle school. I wanted to be the person that helped them, and they saw every day,' Alvarez said. 'It has been a privilege to see them grow in high school, earn their associate degree and then graduate from high school.' Alvarez will participate in the interview process for the state award on May 21, SISD said. Socorro ISD said the 2025-2026 Texas School Counselor of the Year will be announced at the end of May. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Socorro ISD celebrates 2 Teachers of the Year at annual gala
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Socorro Independent School District (SISD) celebrated its top two educators from across the district at the annual Teacher of the Year Gala. The 2025 Teacher of the Year Gala took place on Friday, May 9, at the El Paso Convention Center. Edith Miranda, a bilingual pre-K to fourth-grade teacher at Sgt. Roberto Ituarte Elementary School was named the 2025 SISD Elementary Teacher of the Year. Michael Neff, a 10th-grade world history teacher at Montwood High School, was named the 2025 SISD Secondary Teacher of the Year. 'You have continued the great legacy all while holding ourselves to the highest standards of achievement in SISD,' Interim Superintendent James Vasquez said. 'All of you have been instrumental in leading our students to excellence in the classrooms, on the field, on the pitch, in the concert halls. I applaud and thank everyone in this room for your contributions to our successes.' Socorro ISD teachers, administrators and community members were in attendance for the gala, according to the news release by SISD. In addition, the event recognized 50 Teachers of the Year from across all SISD campuses, including the eight finalists who underwent a 'rigorous' selection process. According to Socorro ISD, Miranda and Neff received the Teacher of the Year awards for 'their enthusiasm for teaching and for inspiring their students to seize the opportunities provided by SISD for long-term success.' 'Oh, my babies are going to be so excited,' Miranda said. 'They're 4 years old, 5 years old. They just knew I was coming to a celebration, and they were like, 'Ms. Miranda, have so much fun! We'll see you Monday.' So, they'll be excited.' 'It's a big responsibility to carry on my shoulders being representative of the entire school district and to represent my awesome Montwood community and feeder pattern. I mean, I'm just so grateful for the opportunity,' Neff said. Miranda has been an educator for 12 years and Neff has been an educator and coach for 10 years, according to Socorro ISD. According to the school district, the Teacher of the Year award is 'one of the highest accolades that an educator can receive.' Miranda and Neef will represent Socorro ISD at the Region 19 Teacher of the Year program and they will have the opportunity to advance to the state level, SISD said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
El Paso County voters to decide key school board seats, city races amid low early turnout
Voters across El Paso County will head to the polls to weigh in on several school board and municipal government races. Most crucial to El Paso voters in the Saturday, May 3, election is the race to fill four seats on the El Paso Independent School District board of trustees, a race that has attracted 11 candidates. Voters will also decide who will serve on the boards for the San Elizario Independent School District, the Socorro Independent School District and El Paso Community College. The local school board elections come as the state prepares to launch a private school voucher program, putting public school leadership on its heels as it prepares for an expected drop in funding. The town of Anthony will be electing a mayor, while other municipal races will unfold in Horizon City and San Elizario. The village of Vinton will vote on a proposition to reduce its property tax rate. Despite such a wide field of races, early turnout was sluggish. During the early voting session, which kicked off Tuesday, April 22, and ended Tuesday, April 29, only 4,499 in-person votes had been cast by the more than 319,000 eligible voters. Only 1,146 mail-in ballots had been received, bringing the early voting turnout to just under 1.8%. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. at nearly 80 voting sites across the county. A full list of Election Day voting centers can be found on the El Paso County Elections Department website. The election is open to all registered voters who reside within each entity appearing on the ballot. For example, only residents who live within EPISD boundaries are eligible to vote in the EPISD elections, and only residents of Anthony, San Elizario, or Horizon City are eligible to vote in those municipal races. More: El Paso Teachers Association endorses EPISD candidates, accuses rival of pro-voucher bias Following is a breakdown of the races that will appear on Saturday's ballot: EPISD District 1 Nelson Bank Lean Hanany Monica Elena Benjamin EPISD District 3 Jack Loveridge John Ponce De Leon EPISD District 4 Isabel Hernandez Juan M. Duran Mindy Sutton EPISD District 5 Melvin Milton Israel Irrobali Robert Osterland SISD District 2 Ryan Woodcraft Shawn Ollis SISD District 3 Jose Alonzo Jr. Pablo Caldera Jr. Charles W. Smith Joshua Carter Guerra SISD District 4 Raul Villalobos Caryn Gonzalez Paul Guerra SISD District 5 Cindy Hernandez Gary Gandara Manny Rodriguez Town of Anthony, mayor Richard Villareal Anthony Turner Martin Lerma Benjamin Romero Town of Antony, Place 1 alderman Lourdes Garcia Town of Anthony, Place 2 alderman Manny Balderas EPCC District 4 Eduardo A. Flores Luther Marcena Jesus Mendez EPCC District 6 Eddie Mena Diana Yadira Mooy SEISD Place 1 Lorenzo Luevano SEISD Place 2 Axel Lopez Asael Cordona SEISD Place 3 Michael Martinez Alexis Ann Tellez Village of Vinton, Proposition A Reducing the tax rate in the Village of Vinton for the current year from $0.801437 per $100 valuation to $0.688226 per $100 valuation Town of Horizon City, Place 1 alderman Guillermo (Willie) Ortega Charlie Ortega Town of Horizon City, Place 2 alderman Scott Quiroz Town of Horizon City, Place 4 alderman Robert Avila Sandra Sierra Town of Horizon City, Place 5 alderman Katherine Ames Town of Horizon City, Place 6 alderman Adrian Rivera Matthew Gardea Town of Horizon City, Proposition A The reauthorization of the local sales and use tax in the Town of Horizon City, Texas at the rate of one fourth (1/4) of one percent (1%) to continue providing revenue for maintenance and repair of municipal streets City of San Elizario, Place 1 alderman Hector Ramos City of San Elizario, Place 2 alderman David S. Cantu Tony Grijalva City of San Elizario, Place 3 alderman Lorenzo Leyva Haciendas Del Norte Water Improvement District, Proposition A The issuance of bonds in an amount not to exceed $5,000,000 for waterworks system and the levying of a tax in payment of the principal of and interest on the bonds 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: What to know: El Paso County elections this weekend
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Socorro ISD officials consider tax increase amid financial challenges
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Socorro Independent School District (SISD) is now looking for ways to overcome a projected $8.5 million deficit for next year. During a board meeting on Wednesday, district officials said that an expected decline in student enrollment and no increase in state funding are putting the district in a tough decision. 'Our immediate goal is to stabilize our financial position. But looking ahead, the bigger question is how do we rebuild our fund balance, especially with enrollment declining and the potential for no increase in state funding? This is going to require a combination of sustained financial, this is going to require a combination of sustained financial discipline,' said David Solis, SISD chief financial officer. District officials also discussed the potential of adding a Voter Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) to the November ballot as a potential solution for the district to acquire some much-needed funding. 'We continue to explore the possibility of a Voter Approval Tax Rate Election, or VATRE. If approved by voters, they could bring in up to $28 million in additional funding, resources that would be vital in meeting both our immediate financial needs and long-term goals,' Solis said. If approved by voters, the VATRE will increase property taxes for residents, however, the school district will need to hire an auditor by July 4 to start the process of adding it to the ballot. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
9 schools in Socorro ISD make honor roll for closing achievement gaps
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Nine schools in the Socorro Independent School District have been honored in a statewide honor roll for closing achievement gaps. SISD said 'nine top-performing' schools in the district have been honored as part of the Educational Results Partnership Texas Honor Roll for outperforming other schools in closing achievement gaps, particularly among low-income and historically disadvantaged student populations. This is the 10th year that ERP has completed the honor roll in partnership with the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence (CBEE) and the Texas Business Leadership Council. 'The program applies data science and predictive analytics to identify successful public education systems, practices, programs, and policies that are delivering the best results for students,' SISD said in its news release. The SISD schools that earned this distinction are: Col. John O. Ensor Middle School; Spec. Rafael Hernando III Middle School; Horizon Heights Elementary; Lujan-Chavez Elementary; Loma Verde Elementary; Dr. Sue A. Shook Elementary; Sgt. Jose F. Carrasco Elementary; Sgt. Roberto Ituarte Elementary; and Cactus Trails Elementary. 'Socorro ISD is proud to have nine of our exceptional schools represented on this prestigious honor roll,' SISD Interim Superintendent James P. Vasquez said. 'This accomplishment reflects our commitment to providing an excellent education, as well as the hard work of our dedicated educators and students.' This year, 762 schools and 63 school districts in Texas made the Honor Roll. This is approximately 12 percent of eligible schools and 9 percent of eligible school districts in the state, SISD said. The annual ERP Honor Roll program is part of a national effort to engage business leaders in recognizing successful schools and educational systems and promoting best practices that improve student outcomes. Honor roll schools are recognized for demonstrating consistently higher levels of student achievement, improvement in achievement over time, and a reduction in achievement gaps among student populations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
