Latest news with #XavierDeLaTorre
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
13 Ysleta ISD schools make statewide honor roll
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A total of 13 schools in the Ysleta Independent School District (YISD) were honored on Tuesday, March 18, in the 2024 Texas Honor Roll for closing student achievement gaps, the district said in a news release. YISD said only 12 percent of eligible schools statewide received the honor roll designation this year. The YISD schools that got the statewide honor roll include the following: Desertaire Elementary Eastwood Heights Elementary Glen Cove Elementary North Star Elementary Ramona STEM Academy Scotsdale Elementary Tierra Del Sol Elementary Vista Hills Elementary Eastwood Knolls International Edgemere International REL Washington International Valle Verde Early College High School Young Women's Leadership Academy 'Year after year, our teachers, administrators, staff, and students show up every day, put in the work, and make the Ysleta Independent School District one of the best in the state – and we couldn't be prouder of their accomplishments,' said Superintendent of Schools Xavier De La Torre. 'The dedication, passion, and focus at our neighborhood schools make all the difference in the world, and this recognition confirms what we already know: Our schools are doing something special,' De La Torre added. 'We will continue building on our success to ensure every Ysleta ISD student has the support and skills they need to thrive.' YISD said that to make the honor roll, a school or district must have comprehensively performed above the mean (trendline) at least 80 percent of the time for all cohorts of students and grade levels. Among all 63 districts and 762 schools that were named to the honor roll this year, Ysleta ISD and its campuses were in the 'STAR' category because 33 percent of students or more are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged, the district said. 'This is the 10th year that Educational Results Partnership (ERP) has released the Texas Honor Roll to recognize successful schools/educational systems while promoting best practices that improve student outcomes and prepare them for success,' read the news release. It is also presented in partnership with state business leaders and is based solely on objective student achievement data, ERP officials said. For a complete list of 2024 Texas Honor Roll schools and districts, visit here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas House proposes bills that could expand public school funding, create education savings account program
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Texas Legislature may be getting poised to provide long-needed financial relief to public schools across the state. On Thursday, Feb. 20, the Texas House introduced several bills – most notably House Bills 2 and 3 – which could set aside $7 billion in state funds for public education, and $1 billion to fund an education savings account program (ESA). HB 2 would see the state's funding formula for public schools change, after remaining stagnant since 2019. The bill proposes that the state increase how much funds it provides public schools per student by $220. Currently, school districts receive a basic allotment of $6,160 per student. This would increase that number to $6,380. Ysleta ISD Superintendent Xavier De La Torre, however, said that the increase is underwhelming as they hoped for $400 more, and added that it won't help his or neighboring districts eliminate their financial challenges. 'It's certainly not enough. It's not going to move the average teacher compensation in Texas out of 30th place (in the country),' De La Torre said. Just over three months ago, El Paso ISD moved to close eight schools over two years to deal with its finanical issues. This week, Socorro ISD decided to lay off hundreds of teachers and staff to mitigate their deficit as well, and YISD has had to adopt a budget deficit in back-to-back years. Because YISD adopted a $17 million budget deficit for the 2024-25 school year, De La Torre said they're contemplating taking out a 'gap' loan to fund payroll demands in August – one of two months where school districts don't receive installments of money from the state. 'Under normal circumstances, we would simply go into the unassigned fund balance, the reserve, where we would have enough cash to cover that month and then pay ourselves back the following month when we get revenue from the state,' De La Torre said. 'It's sort of the perfect storm — no money from the state, inflation up 20 to 25%. And there have been some decisions made in Austin that were unexpected and unanticipated relative to special education funding, that withheld $7 million from the Ysleta Independent School District,' De La Torre said. Still, De La Torre said that HB 2 came with several provisions that could greatly benefit them and other school districts in El Paso. 'There are proposals that students with special needs would get additional funding. Students who are emerging bilingual or English language learners would get additional money. And students who are socio-economically disadvantaged – poor – would get additional money. So when you think about those three baskets, El Paso and specifically Ysleta Independent School District, has a very high percentage of students that require support around special needs. One out of every three of our students are English learners, and eight out of every 10 students are poor,' De La Torre said. Overall, De La Torre is optimistic that HB 2 has kickstarted discussions at the state level of increasing public education funding, as he believes it could eventually help them and other public school districts to improve their financial challenges. HB 3, the other key education bill being considered, would fund and create an education savings account (ESA) program, allowing families to use these funds to enroll in private schools or for other educational expenses. Nathan Cunneen, Texas state director for the American Federation for Children (AFC) – a national organization that advocates for school choice, especially lower-income families – believes both public and private education could thrive together with state funding. 'There's almost 30 studies done by academic, peer-reviewed research that show that when public schools are exposed to school choice competition, they get better and public school students get better. This is not a us-or-them sort of arrangement where it's public school versus private school. This is about putting students first, and the data shows that all schools do better as a result,' Cunneen said. Cunneen said that because HB 3 stipulates that students who would be part of the education savings account (ESA) program would receive only 85% of what public schools receive for each student from the state and federal government, it would incentivize the state to continue increasing funding for public schools. 'Kids don't all learn the same. Not every kid is the same, and assigning students to schools based on their zip code does not always guarantee that they're going to get what they need to succeed in their education. What school choice and education savings account does is give families the option to pursue other opportunities if their assigned-to public school isn't working out for them,' Cunneen said. De La Torre doesn't believe the approval of a state-funded ESA program will have a huge detrimental effect on El Paso school districts compared to bigger cities like Dallas or Houston, because there aren't large private schools here that could take away large amounts of students from their schools. While De La Torre said he welcomes the competition with private schools in the area, and believes they could both thrive in El Paso with state-funding, he is wary that at some point down the line an ESA program could take away from public schools. 'Everything I've read from all the states that have already experimented with educational savings accounts or vouchers, the investment has had to increase significantly. From 1 billion before you know it, five years down the road, it costs $3 billion and so on and so forth. At some point, it could redirect money from your traditional public school system to these private schools,' De La Torre said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ysleta ISD Board approves 1-year contract extension for Superintendent De La Torre
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The Ysleta Independent Schol District (YISD) Board of Trustees approved a 1-year contract extension for Superintendent Dr. Xavier De La Torre, the district announced on Thursday, Jan. 30, in a news release. The district said De La Torre's contract extension is 'a reflection of the board's continued confidence in his leadership and ongoing commitment to improving the educational experience for all of its students.' In addition to the contract extension, De La Torre proposed a reduction in his benefits as part of his commitment to aligning his compensation with YISD's financial priorities, the district said. 'I am honored by the trust the Board has placed in me, and I look forward to continuing our work to ensure the success of every student in Ysleta ISD,' De La Torre said. 'This is a challenging time for school districts, and I believe it's important for all of us to work together in finding ways to better serve our students and community while being fiscally responsible.' 'Ysleta has become one of the state's top districts despite rising accountability standards and budget constraints,' Board President Cruz A. Ochoa said. 'This decision reflects a deep commitment to our students and community.' The district said that under De La Torre's leadership, YISD has earned numerous state and national honors including being named a 2025 District of Distinction. The district achieved an 'A' rating in 2022 and has maintained its position as El Paso's top-ranked school district for four consecutive years, the district added. De La Torre's 11-year tenure is second only to Dr. J.M. Hanks, YISD's first superintendent who served 51 years from 1929 to 1980, the district said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
