EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — After months of financial uncertainty and difficult conversations, the El Paso Independent School District board of trustees approved a budget and spending plan for the 2026-27 school year that district leaders say puts EPISD on a more stable path.

Trustees voted to adopt the budget after the district faced what officials described as an unstable financial future.

The board’s discussion included an introduction of Dallas ISD Deputy Superintendent and chief financial officer Ed Ramos, who provided trustees an overview of EPISD’s financial position and recent budget adjustments.

Ramos, who currently serves in Dallas ISD where EPISD Superintendent Dr. Brian Lusk previously worked, has been assisting the district as it works to stabilize its finances.

“El Paso ISD had to make some very difficult decisions, some very difficult financial decisions in a matter of months,” Ramos said. “The district has reduced expenditures by $57 million, which has stabilized the district financially.”

Julia Spencer reports on EPISD adopts budget, shrinks projected deficit from $47M to $4.3M (Credit: KFOX14)

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District officials said the proposed budget deficit for next school year is now $4.3 million, after officials projected an original $47 million deficit in May.

Trustees also discussed changes in health care, state financial changes and other budget assumptions included in the financial plan.

Officials said the bulk of the district’s savings came from job cuts.

Deputy Superintendent and Interim Chief Financial Officer David Bates said the district would continue making adjustments.

“And then we’ll certainly continue to right size this ship, and you’ll see in our presentation that we have some assumptions that are very conservative and we’re making sure that our numbers are going to line,” Bates said.

Officials said the district cut 851 jobs.

At the campus level, EPISD cut 525 positions, including 402 vacant positions, which officials described as an 8% adjustment in campus-level jobs.

Within central office, EPISD cut 326 positions, including 239 vacant positions, which officials described as a 20% adjustment in central office staff.

Trustee Mindy Sutton asked whether personnel-related changes represented the district’s savings.

Bates responded, “Absolutely, yeah, 80% of everything you’re going to adopt today is in the people, right? So this is the bulk of the savings.”

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District officials said next steps include finishing the process of closing job positions by the end of this month.

In August, the district is expected to introduce a public budget dashboard to track spending and revenue.

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