EL PASO, Tx., November 20, 2025: This afternoon, Ysleta Independent School District (YISD) Trustee, Chris Hernandez called for teachers, staff and school community members to discuss moving one of the district’s staff development days to the day after the Super Bowl. According to Hernandez the move will save the district “tens of thousands of dollars.”
Hernandez told El Paso Herald Post that YISD has noted an attendance drop at the district’s schools by almost 10% the Monday after the Super Bowl. According to Hernandez, student absenteeism costs the school district “tens of thousands” of dollars from school funding because the students aren’t in class. School districts receive funding for each student at school that day.
“These dips aren’t random – they happen every year,” Hernandez said. “When attendance drops, the district loses tens of thousands of dollars in ADA funding, and that’s before we account for the cost of substitutes.”
Not only do students miss school, but teachers also call in after the Super Bowl resulting in the school district having to pay for substitute teachers for the day to cover the missing teachers.
Last year, YISD paid $23,000 for substitute teachers after 220 teachers called in on Monday after the football game.
The trustee said that the school “looses money twice, first from the ADA loss from students being absent,” and then by having to pay for substitute teachers to cover absent teachers.
According to Hernandez, by “moving a day we already have” scheduled for a staff development day “would not reduce instruction time,” and would save the school district money.
Hernandez told us that some school board members have expressed reservations about moving a staff development day to the Monday after the Super Bowl, arguing that teachers would not support it. But Hernandez says that from the feedback from he has received, teachers and parents are “overwhelmingly” in support of the move.
“This isn’t teachers versus parents,” Hernandez said. “It’s about looking at the district’s own data, preventing avoidable financial losses, and reducing the chaos that teachers experience on high call-in days.” He added that “teachers deserve a voice in this decision,” and “not assumptions made on their behalf.”
Chris Hernandez is asking for input from teachers and parents about changing the schedule to save the school district financial losses by holding classes on a day that historically sees significant student and teacher absences that lead to financial losses for the district.
Disclosure: Chris Hernandez is a contributor to El Paso Herald Post.
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