EPISD board to take up superintendent's status — again
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — After a five-hour marathon meeting to discuss the employment status of Superintendent Diana Sayavedra, the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees is scheduled to take up the topic again in a special meeting on Tuesday, June 3.
The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the EPISD Administration Building, 1014 N. Stanton St.
The agenda for the meeting said they will consult with legal counsel concerning issues relating to the superintendent's duties, responsibilities and employment status.
Any action will be taken in public session either at this meeting or at a future meeting, the agenda said.
Possible actions listed included: discussion and action to approve a voluntary separation agreement with the superintendent; discussion and action on the superintendent's duties, responsibilities and employment status; and discussion and action to appoint an interim superintendent.
It is not clear if there are enough votes to end Sayavedra's tenure as superintendent.
El Paso ISD board takes no action on superintendent after marathon meeting
During an emotionally charged meeting on May 27, the board discussed Sayavedra's employment status and possible future with the district for five hours, before adjourning and not taking action shortly after 10:30 p.m.
Speaker after speaker defended Sayavedra, who has led the district since January 2022 and received a five-year contract extension last year.
Some also warned that such a move would destabilize the district and force it to spend money on a buyout.
The district is estimating that it is facing a $17 million shortfall for the 2025-26 school year.
After hearing public comment, the board went into executive session for about two hours, came back out and heard more public comment.
Briefly, the board discussed the superintendent in public session and that's when sparks flew among the board.
Trustee Daniel Call said that new Board President Leah Hanany was leading the effort to oust Sayavedra 'not because of poor performance or scandal, but because she wouldn't bend the knee' to Hanany.
Call also said that during the board's last search for a superintendent, Hanany advocated for a candidate who was a 'crony' and that is what she was seeking to do again, if she was successful in ousting Sayavedra.
Hanany made a brief statement before adjourning the meeting without the board taking any action.
Hanany accused Call of lying and violating a non-disclosure agreement from the superintendent search. She said she would not violate that same agreement and said that made defending herself impossible.
Also, during the past week, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) confirmed that a complaint had been filed against Hanany.
TEA: Complaint filed against EPISD board president
'TEA can confirm that a complaint has been filed and is currently under review. As is the case for all complaints submitted to the agency, the complaint is reviewed to determine what next steps, if any, are necessary,' reads part of TEA's statement.
All this comes after the shape of the EPISD board was drastically altered after the May 3 school board election.
Two incumbents — Israel Irrobali and Isabel Hernandez — were defeated for re-election. Newcomers Mindy Sutton and Robert Osterland were elected in their place.
Also, Hanany and fellow incumbent Jack Loveridge were elected to new terms. Loveridge, who had been appointed to his seat after Josh Acevedo was elected to the City Council, was elected to a term in his own right.
When the new board met for the first time, Hanany was elected the new board president and Loveridge as vice president.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Democrats split on presidential primary candidate, poll says
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A new Emerson College Polling of U.S. voters shows that Democrats are split on who they will support in the 2028 presidential primary. According to the poll, 16% support former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, 13% former Vice President Kamala Harris, 12% California Gov. Gavin Newsom, 7% Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, respectively, 5% Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and 3% New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. 23% percent of voters are undecided. Emerson College reports that in the last poll, held in , Harris received 37% support, Gov. Newsom 7%, and Sec. Buttigieg 4%, Gov. Shapiro 3%, and Gov. Whitmer 3%. In the November poll, voters were allowed to write in their preferred candidate. On a generic 2028 presidential ballot test, 42% would support the generic Democratic candidate, 42% the Republican, and 16% are undecided. 'Similarly to the generic congressional ballot, independents break for the generic Democrat on the presidential ballot, 37% to 29%, with a significant 34% undecided,' said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, in a news release sent to 6 News. According to the poll, the economy remains the top issue for voters at 32%, down from 41% in March. Threats to democracy are the top concern for 22% of voters, a four-point increase. Immigration follows at 14%, healthcare at 9%, housing affordability at 7%, and crime at 5%. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
13 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump golfs with Republican senators Schmitt, Graham and Paul ahead of 'Big, Beautiful Bill' vote
President Donald Trump played a round of golf with Republican leaders on Saturday. The president was joined by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC., Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, sources confirmed to Fox News. The outing comes as Republican senators look to pass the "Big Beautiful Bill" by Saturday afternoon. The bill has a self-imposed deadline of July 4. In a memo sent on Saturday to Senate offices, the White House endorsed the latest revisions to the bill and called for its passage, while warning that failure to approve the budget "would be the ultimate betrayal". Graham shared the golf outing in a post on social media, expressing optimism over the bill's vote. Graham revealed the stitched-together text of the colossal bill late Friday night. Republican leaders, the White House and disparate factions within the Senate and House GOP have been meeting to find middle ground on other pain points, such as tweaking the caps on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hammered on the importance of passing Trump's bill on time. He met with Senate Republicans during their closed-door lunch and spread the message that advancing the colossal tax package would go a long way toward giving businesses more certainty in the wake of the president's tariffs. "We need certainty," he said. "With so much uncertainty, and having the bill on the president's desk by July 4 will give us great tax certainty, and I believe, accelerate the economy in the third quarter of the year." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Markets are gearing up for rate cuts. Morgan Stanley thinks investors will be disappointed.
Markets have been clamoring for rate cuts, and are eyeing the next two Fed meetings as possible windows. But Morgan Stanley analysts predict that the Fed won't be cutting rates in July or September. The market's view of rate cuts has brightened after recent dovish commentary. Economists at Morgan Stanley think investors are about to be disappointed in the outcomes of the next two Federal Reserve meetings. The bank said in a note on Friday that, despite a recent push from President Donald Trump and recent dovish talk from central bankers, the July and September FOMC meetings will result in no change to borrowing costs. The Fed's cautious approach this year has sparked backlash from President Trump, who has said he believes interest rates need to be cut "by at least 2-3 points." But since the last meeting, other top Fed officials have come out in support of rate cuts in July, with markets cheering the dovish talk. But Morgan Stanley says don't count on it. Their thesis centers around two key points. First, they expect that the economic data released in the short term will remain consistent with the "wait and see approach" displayed by Powell. While the Fed chairman has reaffirmed a need to further assess the impact of tariffs, he has also recently raised concerns regarding the reliability of economic data. "We expect firmer inflation prints showing more signs of a tariff push over the summer," the analysts note, adding that they also expect the coming employment report to be "relatively solid," both of which are factors unlikely to push the Fed toward rate cuts. They also highlight that despite the recent push from Fed governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, the pro-rate-cut camp is relatively small. "The Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) published last week revealed that there are seven policymakers who expect no cuts this year," the report states. "In fact, the overall tone of Fed speakers this week was much more aligned with Chair Powell's." San Francisco Fed president Mary Daly and New York Fed president John Williams are examples of Fed officials who have taken a more hawkish approach to interest rates. Both have expressed sentiments similar to Powell's. Morgan Stanley added that both Waller and Bowman's statements raised the probability of rate cuts to 20% in July and 60%-90% in September. The higher odds were cheered by markets during the week, with more dovish forecasts helping propel the S&P 500 to a new all-time high. While Morgan Stanley's analysts note uncertainty remains high and that their predictions could be wrong, they maintain that firmer inflation prints will be coming later in the summer and will likely peak in July or August. They add that their forecast is aligned with Powell's expectations, which include tariffs pushing prices higher in the coming months. Read the original article on Business Insider
