If it turns out the the birth rate decline lasts for a while I wonder what EPISD will do to handle the enormous decrease in student population.
A 20% decline for an entire quarter represents 5% fewer students five years from now.
Obviously if the decline lasts an entire year the district will have 20% fewer students entering kindergarten and the effect will be felt for twelve years.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Well they will want US to give Cabrera MORE money and take that MORE from US. Simple EPISD. And SOME voters WILL give him MORE. “It’s for the children”.
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Anonymous, I must have missed something. How is EPISD asking us for more money? I thought they kept their tax rate the same? Is there another bond? I know the EPISD Board of Trustees approved putting a TRE on the ballot for November but that does not raise taxes. Can you clarify your comment as I must have missed something?
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LESS students, LESS of a “Job”. Why would HE not want more MONEY from US, to do LESS?. Actually stands to reason, LOGIC, if he does not have as much of “The hardest job in the world” to do, should be paid LESS. But I’m sure the EPISD Board would not cut his pay. THEY have him accustomed to the “Life styles of the rich and famous”.
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Not to mention he has a contract with a designated salary for the next several years. To cut his salary would be a breach of contract which could lead to a lawsuit.
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This is likely an ongoing trend. Will affect all businesses that serve children. EPISD needs a real plan for declining enrollment. The faux marketing campaign won’t solve this one, despite Tim Holt’s pathetic assertions. It’s time for real contraction in a thoughtful manner.
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Chico,
You bring up a good point of needing a plan. If the marketing plan will not address this issue, which may not due to declining enrollment and birthdate across the region, what do you suggest they should do as part of their plan?
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The district is going to need to contract … fewer schools. If done strategically and over time, the pain can be minimized. It’s not easy, but the district cannot sustain the number of schools.
Two factors are hitting EPISD really hard –
1. Young families are moving outside of EPISD boundaries, mostly to the Eastside.
2. Births are declining. This is a national trend, felt more strongly in the west. NM, AZ, UT, and CO are seeing greater declines than other parts of the US.
We know that in the last two years, births are down at least 15% in El Paso County. This includes babies born to Mexican nationals. Put differently, the group of 2 years olds today is at least 15% smaller than today’s kindergarten class. These data give EPISD three years to prepare. To minimize pain on faculty, students, and parents, the preparations need to begin now. If we wait three years, it will be ugly – both from a labor management standpoint and student/family perspective. People don’t like contraction, but it’s reality.
My suggestion is, that as the district contracts, it continues to build specialized campuses as has been done at the high school level. This specialization may allow families to choose where they send their kids. If people feel empowered with some choice, it may mitigate the public relations difficulties. It’s going to be a tough time to be a teacher. The board of trustees and the superintendent are going to need to demonstrate a level of rectitude that has not been demonstrated in more than a decade.
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Why is everyone so worried about declining enrollment in the EPISD? The State pays x number of dollars per student with the express purpose of having the money used to educate the students.
If you know you have lost 2000 students then a budget that reflects this loss should be made. The teachers will always be able to keep their numbers down through attrition.
You do not need and should not expect to receive the money for the 2000 fewer students when you don’t have to teach them.
Of course, the 78 central office employees that were here when Cabrera got here have morphed into 161 hot bodies that command a goodly sum. But the fact is, Fewer Students are not causing unsolvable problems.
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Until they try to close schools that are no longer needed and the community is insistent that they stay open, no matter how small. I don’t get it. EPISD does not need the current number of schools they have, in five years they will need even fewer yet the community does not want to close them. It seems so logical that it is illogical.
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Dan,
I’m only worried, in that EPISD needs to have the ability to contract its system in order to educate the x number of students in an appropriate way. Schools can be too small and too big. I would expect the district to plan, based on emerging demographics, to provide the “just right” experience for kids to learn.
The problems are only “unsolvable” if you don’t prepare for them.
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Maybe fewer students will make Cabrera’s job a little easier. After all, he says he has one of the toughest jobs in America.
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And, and, and if Cabrera has LESS of a “Job”, maybe WE the WORKING people could cut his exorbitant salary, benefits to a measly $100,000 per year. Anybody know of anybody in El Taxo that makes that kind of money in this POOR, bankrupt town? Driving around the sands of El Taxo, toughest “Job”?? Try putting on a MILITARY uniform and CRAWLING around the sands of Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan for $10-20,000 per YEAR. 🙂
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He has a bad leg. That’s why he has to fly first class.
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Disgusted, I have two “bad” legs. Well not that “bad”, Titanium and plastic, nut bolts. 🙂 But can’t afford to fly fist class because Cabrera and his empire needs so much MONEY from all of US in El Taxo. Maybe the EPISD Board could buy him his own Air Force C-130?? No Stewards, .
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He can sit in coach bulkhead and have plenty of legroom.
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I imagine the declining birth rate will impact the entire county and not just EPISD. It seems like EPISD has already begun to implement a plan by consolidating schools through a bond, discussing closing schools (which seems like the community wants to keep small schools since they opposed closures), open enrollment district-wide, PR campaign and increasing class sizes to cut positions due to declining enrollment. Some of those decisions are obviously not as popular or acceptable as others to the community but at least it is a start. I wonder what the other districts are doing to address the declining birth rate.
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