POSTED: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - 1:41pm
UPDATED: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 3:14pm
EL PASO - State Senator Jose Rodriguez and State Representative Dee Margo will be at Franklin High School this weekend to talk about budget cuts to EPISD.
Right now, the president of the EPISD Board of Trustees Patricia Hughes says right now they are thinking they will have to cut 5% of their budget, or $23 million. She says they are thinking of ways to make those cuts without impacting the classroom, but she says cutting personnel, cutting fine arts programs, and/or changing the student-to-teacher ratio are ideas they have discussed.
"When your budget is 86% personnel, eventually you cut people," Hughes said. "We have been very good about it so far, cutting millions of dollars without affecting classroom teachers. We've cut support people, custodians, but we have not touched the classroom and we are trying desperately not to do that."
If they change the student-to-teacher ratio, they must get it waived by the state.
The event will be at the gym at Franklin High, 900 North Resler, this Saturday from 12 to 2.