Dear El Paso ISD, 

On Monday, June 24, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $542 million budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, effective July 1, 2024. Throughout the budget process, both the board and administration worked diligently and collaborated with our valued stakeholders to create a budget that aligns with our Hopes and Dreams strategic blueprint. This involved engaging in workshops and meetings with the budget committee to enhance the educational experience for our students, provide support for our staff, and ensure the financial well-being of the district. 

The board and administration are deeply committed to our employees, acknowledging their invaluable contributions. While we understand that compensation increases may not be viable at this time, we will continue to explore opportunities for a possible one-time compensation throughout the year. 

As we continue to enjoy the summer break, we have much to be proud of as the district's mission and the talents of our staff and students are being recognized at both the state and national levels. 

The National School Public Relations Association announced the winners of its 2024 Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards, and for the first time, El Paso ISD is among the honored recipients. The district submitted 11 entries and earned 10 NSPRA awards for outstanding tactical materials such as publications, newsletters, videos, and social media. This achievement is significant as it means the district's stories about our district, our students and our employees are being seen nationwide. The winning entries will be celebrated during the Annual Meeting and Celebration of Achievement at the NSPRA 2024 National Seminar in July. 

We are also proud to announce that an El Paso ISD nurse has been honored as the Region 19 School Nurse of the Year. Grace Carbajal, who has been with the district for two years and has over 17 years of nursing experience, has shown exceptional dedication to her profession. Her commitment extends beyond her daily duties as she also volunteers during non-working hours. Carbajal will represent Region 19 in the statewide competition for Texas School Nurse of the Year, with the winner to be announced at the annual TSNO conference in November. Good luck, Grace! 

Lastly, we want to share a story about one of our outstanding students. Daniel Moreno, a Bowie High School student, has been selected to attend the internationally renowned National Seminario Ravinia Orchestras for All! Festival in July. This major music festival will engage over 130 teenage students from 43 orchestral organizations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Greece, and Sweden. Daniel’s story is just one example of the many amazing achievements of our students. You can always read more stories about our remarkable staff and students on episd.org. 

We are excited to announce the rollout of several new features for the upcoming school year. To continue strengthening communication with our community, our newly redesigned website will offer enhanced navigation to improve the user experience. The website will also feature a new section to spotlight students, staff, and other community members. Additionally, keep an eye out for the new El Paso ISD app. This app is designed to simplify communication for staff, parents, and students by consolidating the use of multiple apps into one convenient platform. Parents will be able to communicate with their child's teacher using this free service, and staff members can also interact with students and their guardians. The app will also include school news, events, lunch menus, and more. 

We hope you all continue to enjoy your summer break.  

It Starts With Us! 

Sincerely,

Diana Sayavedra

Superintendent of Schools

June 28, 2024