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Heads up, Texas taxpayers: we’ve reviewed the upcoming EL PASO ISD agenda and found 4 items that deserve your attention before the gavel falls.
| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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District to Adopt Official State Lobbying Platform
The board plans to adopt its official legislative priorities for the 90th Texas Legislative Session, formalizing the district’s lobbying platform. This means taxpayer resources will be used to influence state lawmakers, often to advocate for more spending and oppose taxpayer protections like property tax relief.
Response
DEMAND A RECORDED VOTE: Contact the Board of Trustees and demand Consent Item 8.A.4 be pulled for a separate discussion and a roll-call vote. Ask: ‘Please publish the proposed legislative priorities online before the vote so taxpayers can see what you plan to lobby for with our money.’
💰 Impact: Undisclosed Lobbying Costs
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| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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District to Spend $248,000 on Student Data Platform
The district plans to approve a $248,000 purchase of a ‘Data Intelligence Platform’ from Abre.io, Inc. for district-wide reporting and analytics. These systems can harvest vast amounts of sensitive student data, and parents have a right to know what is being tracked, who has access, and how they can opt out.
Response
DEMAND A RECORDED VOTE: Contact the Board of Trustees and demand Consent Item 8.G.6 be pulled for a separate discussion and roll-call vote. Ask: ‘What specific student data will the Abre.io platform collect, who will have access to it, and what are the parental opt-out policies?’
💰 Impact: Student Data Privacy
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| WARNING (LEVEL 6) |
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$1.05M Contract for Vague ‘Principal Growth’ Consulting
The board will vote on a $1,050,000 contract with Big Rock Educational Services for ‘instructional coaching’ and to ‘support principal growth.’ This is a significant expense for consulting services with vague, unmeasurable goals, paid for with grant and federal funds that may come with strings attached.
Response
DEMAND THE DETAILS: Contact the Board of Trustees before the November 17 meeting. Ask: ‘Regarding Item 7.B, what are the specific, measurable deliverables for the $1.05 million contract with Big Rock Educational Services, and how will taxpayers know if this investment improved student outcomes?’
💰 Impact: $1,050,000.00
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| WATCH (LEVEL 5) |
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Pre-Approval of Dozens of Engineering and Consulting Firms
Under Item 8.G.5, the board is approving a long list of pre-qualified architectural, engineering, and construction management firms for future projects. This creates a pool of consultants that can be hired quickly with potentially less public scrutiny on individual contracts, making it easier to spend taxpayer money without a project-specific review.
Response
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Contact the Board of Trustees regarding Consent Item 8.G.5. Ask: ‘What is the process for awarding specific contracts from this pre-approved list, and how will the board ensure taxpayers get the best value on each future project?’
💰 Impact: Future Undisclosed Contracts
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