We wish it were not true.
The El Paso Independent School District is planning to place a $600 million bond before the voters!
The last bond passed by 55.41% on November 8, 2016 and cost a record $668,695,577 plus interest.
Since that time, student enrollment in EPISD has declined by more than 20% and numerous school campuses have closed permanently, yet over the same period the budget has grown significantly (when adjusted for inflation).
The highest paid employee is Superintendent Diana Sayavedra, who earns $320,000 per year, followed by many hundreds of administrators and support staff, of which 98 earn over $100,000.
Our analysis of current EPISD salaries found there is not one teacher among the top 472 wage earners in EPISD!
For those of you who live in that school district, the total debt burden of the five taxing entities is $5.1 billion.
EPISD is veering out of control at high speed, and it may crash and burn if the citizens of El Paso don’t put the brakes on their insane spending binge!
Today we contacted two EPISD Trustees who were kind enough to take our questions. Neither was aware that Sayavedra has been aiming for a $600 million bond for at least two months.
So far, there have been zero media reports.
We obtained our information from a very reliable source, but there is also Ross Moore, President of the El Paso American Federation of Teachers, who posted the news on Facebook on September 29.
What is astounding is that we contacted two EPISD Trustees today, and neither was aware of the $600 million figure!
Apparently the Superintendent is operating independently of her own Board.
ATTEND THE NEXT EPISD MEETING AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
The next EPISD meeting of the Board of Trusteed will be October 17 at 5:00pm at 1014 N. Stanton St.
Please attend and let Sayavedra and the Board of Trustees know how you feel about more deficit spending and higher taxation!