EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — The El Paso Independent School District has begun notifying employees that their positions have been cut, according to the El Paso Teachers Association.

The El Paso Teachers Association said some of its members told the organization they started getting notifications on Tuesday night that they were on a list being taken to the school board next week.

Speaking to KFOX14/CBS4 on Tuesday, El Paso Teachers Association President Norma De La Rosa confirmed she has had several members state that notifications came by email or phone call.

“I started getting messages early this evening of some of our members receiving notification, either through a letter that was sent to them via email or through a phone call that their position had been reviewed and was basically cut,” De La Rosa said.

She added, “It’s devastating because now these employees, these teachers, are now in a position of, ‘ What do they do.'”

The cuts come after EPISD trustees approved a plan last week that includes cutting more than 200 positions districtwide, including 54 teacher positions. The move comes as the district declared financial exigency, allowing for termination of contracts, employment agreements and programs without penalties.

Superintendent Dr. Brian Lusk previously called the move difficult but necessary, as district leaders have been working to balance the district’s budget by the end of June, with the district facing a projected $52.8 million shortfall this school year and projecting a shortfall of roughly $42.1 million for the 2026-2027 budget year.

De La Rosa said the current situation for school districts could make it difficult for affected employees to find work elsewhere.

“I will tell you that right now, with the situation that school districts are in, not just here in El Paso, but across the state, they may not find a teaching job in another district, and that’s what’s horrible about this whole thing that’s playing out,” De La Rosa said.

De La Rosa urged any impacted employee not to resign, saying resigning would make them ineligible for unemployment benefits.

READ THE FULL LIST OF PROPOSED TERMINATIONS HERE:

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