El Paso voters oppose Socorro ISD school funding proposal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nov. 5, 2025

CONTACT: Nicole Hill, [email protected]

Prop A would have generated $49 million for the district without raising the tax rate

EL PASO, Texas - Last night, voters in Socorro ISD rejected the district's tax swap proposal, Prop A, which would have raised $49 million in additional operating revenue for the district, all without raising the net tax rate.

"Without Prop A, educators are worried about the district's financial future and what that means both for our students and for our jobs," said Veronica Hernandez, president of Socorro AFT. "The district made steep cuts to balance the budget for this school year, and our reserves have not recovered. There's not much more to cut without creating a crisis for our local schools."

The district previously dipped into its operating reserves, called the fund balance, in order to pass a balanced budget for the 2025-26 school year. Revenue from Prop A would have replenished those reserves, allowing the district to maintain key investments in student programming and educator compensation without compromising the long-term financial health of the district. Without Prop A funding, the financial future of the district is precarious.

"Everything is more expensive in this economy, and neither voters nor school districts are immune," said Zeph Capo, president of Texas AFT. "If the state would step up and pay its fair share of school funding, school districts would not be forced to go to the voters to ask for relief. Our school finance system must keep up with costs and make schools whole, not just offer increases when we reach a crisis point."

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The Texas American Federation of Teachers represents 66,000 teachers, paraprofessionals, support personnel, and higher-education employees across the state. Texas AFT is affiliated with the 1.8 million-member American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO.