EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — As the district faces new budget uncertainty from the state, El Paso ISD leaders are preparing to consider an incentive program aimed at reducing central office staffing through early retirements or resignations.
Leah Hanany, board president for the EPISD Board of Trustees, said the item is expected to come up at next week’s board meeting.
The proposal would offer an incentive for certain central office employees to retire early or resign, as district leaders look for ways to address budget challenges without starting with cuts that affect classrooms.
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“We want to show the community that we’re not looking at cuts to the classroom first,” Hanany said. “So we are evaluating all levels of our organization and starting with upper administration first.”
Hanany said the district had been “poised to pass a balanced budget,” but that the state has introduced new challenges.
She said the state is “redoing their formulations for a whole harmless provision,” and that there has not been “any definitive number yet,” but the district is preparing for potential additional challenges.
The agenda item is expected to include a proposed incentive amount of $3,000, though Hanany emphasized that the board discusses items posted for action and that the proposal is still subject to discussion and changes.
“We want to try to eliminate positions wherever possible without firing any employees,” Hanany said.
Hanany said the superintendent has already made progress eliminating 60 positions, including some at the highest levels. She said the district is “now one deputy shorter” and has “a chief position shorter than from when Dr. Lusk started.”
The district does not yet have projections for how many central office positions could be freed up through the incentive program.
“We don’t have a final number again,” Hanany said.
If no one participates, Hanany told KFOX14/CBS4 the district will continue working to balance its budget.
“We are aggressively pursuing a balance budget,” she said.
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KFOX14/CBS4 also pointed to comparisons from a past presentation on central office staffing; EPISD has 76 directors and above, compared with 41 in Ysleta ISD and 36 in Socorro ISD, while noting EPISD is the larger district.
Hanany replied saying the district is also dealing with declining enrollment and that community members have repeatedly raised concerns regarding too much staffing at the district’s central office.
“The community is telling us over and over that we are top-heavy,” Hanany said.
KFOX14/CBS4 then asked about the district’s deficit and Hanany referenced earlier concerns that the deficit was $6 million at the start of the school year, but said the district had been positioned to pass a balanced budget before the state changes created new uncertainty.
She said the district’s financial picture can shift quickly and that more precise numbers are expected in June, later in the budget cycle.
Meantime, some parents said they support the approach, even if it comes with trade-offs.
“Incentives for them is going to cost money, but in the long term it’s going to save, in my opinion, but at long term they don’t touch the direct impact to the education of the children, which is more important,” one parent said.
Another parent said, “It’s a good incentive, but I am, I agree with with what they’re trying to do, especially because in the school district offices, I believe, there might be a surplus of people working there.”
The program is expected to be discussed during Tuesday’s board meeting at EPISD headquarters.
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