This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
New EPISD Superintendent Brian Lusk’s 4-Year Contract Includes $360,000 Salary
El Paso Independent School District Superintendent Brian Lusk, who was formally hired Dec. 9, will be paid a base salary of $360,000 a year, as well as performance bonuses and contributions to his retirement funds.
Lusk and the district finalized the superintendent’s contract Tuesday, though his official start date was Dec. 10, documents show.
The four-year contract allows for extensions and provides the following:
Brian Lusk, the new superintendent for El Paso ISD, speaks with El Paso Matters about his background and his plans for the district, Dec. 9, 2025. (Luis Torres/El Paso Matters)
Annual evaluation: The board will evaluate Lusk each December starting in 2026.
Salary performance incentive: $10,000 for each specific performance priority that the district meets or exceeds, with the goals to be adopted by the board.
Annual salary increase: The annual base salary will be automatically increased by up to 4% each year according to his performance evaluation score. The board may also review and increase his salary at any time during his contract term.
Retirement contributions: The district will contribute to the Texas Teacher Retirement System an amount equal to Lusk’s member contribution, and will also contribute to his supplemental retirement plan.
Health plan: The district will pay the full premiums for medical, dental and vision insurance coverage for Lusk and his family.
Physical exam: EPISD will pay “all reasonable costs” for an annual physical examination required by the district.
Relocation stipend: The district will pay a $15,000 relocation stipend, with Lusk having until June 30, 2026, to “establish a residence” within district boundaries.
Lusk was hired by a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees to head the 47,000-student district, the largest in El Paso County. He was named the sole finalist for the position in mid-November.
READ MORE: Brian Lusk formally named El Paso ISD superintendent, vows to center student success
He replaces former Superintendent Diana Sayavedra, who was paid $320,000 a year when she resigned earlier this year.
Lusk previously served as the deputy superintendent of academics and transformation of the Dallas Independent School District.
El Paso received its first shipment of the mpox vaccine in summer 2022. (Courtesy of El Paso Department of Public Health)
El Paso Public Health Officials Confirm New Mpox Case
The El Paso Department of Public Health reported the city’s first case of mpox since 2024: a man in his 50s who is recovering at home, according to a news release. The city’s epidemiology team has begun contact tracing to identify close contacts and offer those people the vaccine.
Mpox is a viral infection first reported in El Paso in 2022 during the global outbreak. The disease spreads between people through close, often skin-to-skin contact. Animals can also become infected and transmit the disease. Along with flu-like symptoms, an infected person may develop a body rash of blisters or sores that can be painful or itchy. A person is no longer contagious when the rash scabs over and new skin forms, a process that can take several weeks.
El Paso health officials confirmed at least 15 cases of mpox from 2022 to 2024. The majority of cases were men.
The health department has administered 584 first doses and 364 second doses of the mpox vaccine since August 2022. The vaccine series requires two doses to be complete. Health officials recommend vaccination only for those who have recently been in close contact with an infected person and are at high risk.
Those at high risk of infection include people with multiple sexual partners. Men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected, but anyone in contact with an infected person can become ill. Those most susceptible to severe illness if infected include infants, pregnant people and immunocompromised people.
“We urge everyone at-risk to remain vigilant in practicing preventive measures to protect themselves and their families,” said Dr. Hector Ocaranza, city and county health authority, in a news release. “This includes safeguarding our most vulnerable community members from not only mpox, but also other diseases like COVID-19 and the flu.”
The Socorro Independent School District Headquarters on Rojas Drive. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
Socorro ISD Offers $2,500 Buyout for Employees
The Socorro Independent School District is offering employees a $2,500 payout to resign as the district prepares to lose 725 students in the coming school year.
SISD trustees voted unanimously Thursday to approve a $2,500 incentive for the first 50 probationary, non-certified and contracted employees who voluntarily resign at the end of their 2025-26 school year contract.
Employees have until 5 p.m. April 6, 2026, to submit their resignation notice to the district’s Human Resources Department.
This is the second time the district offers a separation incentive this year. In March, SISD offered similar payouts as it prepared to lay off employees amid budget deficits.
The Ysleta Independent School District in May offered $5,000 resignation incentives to up to 400 teachers and administrators;
City Rejects Settlement in Wrongful Termination Lawsuit by Ex- Zoo Employee
The El Paso City Council on Monday rejected a settlement offer in the wrongful termination lawsuit filed against the city by a former zoo employee.
The lawsuit filed in December 2024 was discussed in executive session Monday. The City Council then voted to reject the settlement, but enter into mediation in an effort to resolve the matter before it goes to a jury trial April 20.
The lawsuit was filed by former zoo employee Anahí Chavez Villegas. The lawsuit alleges, in part, that former Zoo Director Joe Montisano and human resources employee Tracy Chavarria did not take the immediate and appropriate action against her former supervisor John Kiseda after she alerted them in late 2023 that he was sexually harassing her.
Villegas is seeking monetary damages of more than $1 million, attorney fees and court costs, among others.
Montisano resigned in November after being placed on administrative leave in September following his involvement in multiple controversies. Gary Lunsford is serving as interim director.
Socorro ISD Adopts Academic, Financial Goals
The Socorro Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a set of academic goals and budgetary constraints to address ongoing financial challenges.
SISD’s academic goals include:
Increase the number of third-grade students who meet expectations on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, reading test from 58% in 2025 to 63% in 2030.
Increase the number of third-grade students who meet expectations on the STAAR math test from 48% in 2025 to 58% in 2030.
Increase the number of eighth-grade students who meet expectations on the STAAR end-of-course Algebra 1 test from 70% in 2025 to 75% in 2030.
Increase the number of graduates who meet the state’s College, Career and Military Readiness criteria from 85% in 2025 to 93% in 2030.
The districts plans to increase the number of days it can operate with its savings from 29 days in 2025 to 33 days in 2028, take its year-end budget from a $9.4 million deficit in 2025 to a $3 million surplus in 2028, and improve the district’s grade in the state’s financial rating system from an F in 2025 to a B in 2028.
It also plans to make changes to its health fund, which gains revenue through employee premiums, and is used to cover health care expenses.
The district plans to take its health fund balance from an $8 million deficit in 2025 to a $1 million surplus in 2028, reduce the district’s cost per employee for health care from $14,000 in 2025 to $13,580 in 2028 and reduce the rate at which employee health care premiums increase every year from 63% in 2025 to 30% in 2028.
SISD will also send a climate survey to students, employees, parents and residents to see if they have a positive relationship with the district.
The district expects to get its first set of results in May.
The El Paso County Animal Welfare Department holds an adoption event at the Fountains at Farah in October 2025. (Courtesy El Paso County)
El Paso County Appoints Animal Welfare Director
El Paso County has appointed Crystal D. Reyes as director of its Animal Welfare Department.
Crystal Reyes
Reyes, who has led the department as interim director since 2024, has more than a decade of experience in animal welfare operations, law enforcement collaboration and strategic program development, the county said in a news release.
As director, she’ll oversee both field and clinic operations, manage contract negotiations, budget oversight and multi-agency partnerships. Reyes will also play a pivotal role in the county’s development of its animal shelter, a bond project approved by voters in 2024, and the opening of a new community veterinary clinic.
Reyes is a certified Texas Animal Control Officer with additional certifications in advanced animal welfare functions.
“I’m honored to serve in this role and to continue working with such a dedicated team,” Reyes said in a statement. “El Paso County is making historic investments in animal welfare, and I look forward to building a compassionate, modern system that truly serves both animals and the community.”
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