EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — The El Paso Independent School District has two new trustees after the board appointed representatives for Districts 6 and 7 on Thursday night.
Dr. Mathew Reza was appointed to represent District 6, which represents the Franklin area. Brian Kelly was appointed to represent District 7, which represents the Coronado feeder pattern.
“It’s great to have representation for every single area of our district. I think that was the concern. Is that we didn’t want a large area of El Paso ISD to be without representation. So that’s why we went through this process with expediency, with thoughtfulness, with great care. And I think you see the results as we’ve got two trustees that are very willing to serve their districts,” EPISD Board President Leah Hanany said.
She added, “One of Mr. Kelly’s strengths was his calm demeanor and willingness to be calm. And that’s important, because when we’re dealing with very chaotic situations, we want somebody who brings expertise and who can be a thought partner. With Dr. Reza a tremendous amount of experience in the mental health sector. We hear over and over and over that our students and our parents and our teachers have serious mental health needs, and so again we’re thinking about balance.”
Both appointees will now help decide if the district places a bond on the ballot in November.
The appointments follow the resignations of Daniel Call and Valerie Beals in June, shortly after the district declared financial exigency.
While both cited family matters, Call also said in a previous statement that he disagreed with the direction the board has chosen for the district following the district’s financial struggles.
The appointments come as the district continues to face a budget crisis after a $53 million deficit was reported for the current school year.
As KFOX14/CBS4 previously reported, the board voted to declare financial exigency on June 4 due to the deficit.
Additionally, for the 2026-27 school year, EPISD faced a projected $37 million deficit, largely due to payroll costs.
Last month, the board adopted a budget that reduced that shortfall to about $4.3 million.
District 6 covers several schools, including Brown Middle School, Franklin High School, Guerrero Elementary School, Herrera Elementary School, Hornedo Middle School, Kohlberg Elementary School, Lundy Elementary School, Polk Elementary School, and Tippin Elementary School.
District 7 covers White Elementary, Haskins PK-8, Murphree PK-8, Western Hills Elementary, and Coronado High School.
RECOMMENDED: El Paso ISD trustee members Valerie Beals and Daniel Call resign
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