elpasospeak

This from Xavier Miranda:

We invite all of the candidates for office to send us their thoughts and hope that our readers will share their thoughts with the candidates through the blog.

This from Dori Fenenbock:

EVERY STUDENT PREPARED for El Paso Speak Blog by Dori Fenenbock, April 26^{th 2015}

EPISD could be on the cusp of an educational renaissance with new direction and new leadership. El Paso is experiencing a rebirth of optimism and opportunity. Our schools must not lag behind. We need leaders with energy and enthusiasm who will inspire change. Every student deserves to have the choice and ability to go to college, and will, if EPISD graduates every student prepared.

There are three priorities for EPISD: 1) Let Teachers Teach- attract, support, and retain great teachers, reduce testing, and allow our teachers creativity and time with our children; 2) Put the Money in the Classroom- the magic happens there and we need to maximize our resources where they have the greatest impact: teachers, programs and technology; 3) Trust and Transparency- engage all stakeholders and clearly communicate decisions.

Great teachers are one of our best assets in the education of our children. Studies show that a child’s exposure to just one great teacher results in higher college graduation, higher earnings, and less dependence on public assistance. They are valued partners and need to be a part of decisions we make for and by the district, particularly those we expect them to implement.

We need to downsize central office. We have budget shortfalls due to declining populations and aging facilities that need attention. Fewer students should lead to a reduction in non-essential staff. Our district should lead by example, cut overhead first, and find the most economical option for relocating our central office.

There are out-of-the-box solutions for our facilities. The Mesita / Vilas recommendation is a good example. City and county partnerships are other options to share operational costs and combine services such as schools, health clinics and immigration services. This could lessen the financial burden of underutilized schools important to local communities such as Zavala.

Our biggest challenge in EPISD is a legacy of distrust from the Garcia era. There has been a substantial lack of communication. We need specific and measurable goals for our district, a benchmark for our superintendent’s progress, and a process to clearly communicate this to our stakeholders.

Shifting the narrative about EPISD from negative to positive will take time. There is a small window when the public will give the elected Board of Trustees the benefit of the doubt that they are listening and committed to change. We must capture the momentum to regain public trust and pride in our schools, and build opportunities for our children.

[Dori Fenenbock is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Tulsa Law School. She are her husband, Mark, have four children, all of whom attended EPISD.

Dori served as a legal intern for the United States Court of Appeals and the Oklahoma Court of Appeals. Beginning in 1994, she started a business serving the packaging needs to nationwide clients including Dial, Einstein Bagels, and the U.S. Postal Service. For the last several years, she has stayed at home to raise her children.

Dori serves on the Coronado PTSA, the EPISD Master Facility Planning Committee, the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, as President of the Jewish Federation of El Paso and is the past President of the El Paso Jewish Academy. She is involved with Leadership El Paso, the Junior League and the Boy Scouts of America.]

We ran across a document from Texas Senator Jose Rodriquez to the El Paso Independent School District.    The title was ” Questions for EPISD on Budget Situation and Solutions”

Question 15 read:

Looking at EPISD’s reported budget data on TEA’s website, it appears that EPISD is consistently over budget every year by about $100 million in Total Receipts.

• For FY 2012-13, the total receipts were budgeted at $541,595,092 but the actual total receipts were $670,657,427, which is a difference of $129,062,335.
• Similarly, for FY 2012-12, the budgeted total receipts were $528,456,553 but the actual total receipts were $616,506,378, which is a difference of $88,049,825.
• For FY 2010-11, the difference was $98,595,347.
• For FY 2009-10, the difference was $102,006,209.
• For FY 2008-09, the difference was $322,965,600.
• For FY 2007-08, the difference was $84,797,022.
• For FY 2006-07, the difference was $163,417,897.
• For FY 2005-06, the difference was $83,224,294.

These figures give the impression that EPISD has consistently underestimated the budget on average by 20 to 25 percent.  Please explain the differences, including where the funds might be coming from, what EPISD plans to do to address this issue, and whether this is typical for school Districts of this size.

EPISD’s answer was:

EPISD is confirming and researching the information provided in the question and will provide a response later this week.

Maybe somebody familiar with the EPISD budget process and how the TEA gets their numbers can explain this to us.

We deserve better

Brutus

Xavier Miranda sent this in:

In the Best Interest of Our Children

• Our children are gradually becoming 1 of 200+ students on a high school teacher’s roster. Personalized instruction, wherein the whole child is taught, will be relegated to a one-size-fits-all model, under the guise of online learning enhancements and blended instruction. This model is not effective, yet district administrators hired Tom Vander Ark, who is instrumental in the privatization movement of public education. Below are a reference number and a link that provide insight.

• EPISD Solicitation: RFQ #15-028 Strategic Planning Services for Getting Smart, LLC for $125,000

• The Board of Managers has yet to resolve the ongoing TEA investigations associated with the Lorenzo Garcia scheme. Yet, punitive economic and personnel measures are passed on to employees, while accumulating a district-level administrative team that averages approximately $100,000.