The El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) is grappling with a leadership shake-up and financial turmoil. Two members of the Board of Trustees, Daniel Call and Valerie Ganelon Bealsannounced their resignations on Friday, a day after the board voted to declare financial exigency and make unprecedented cuts to the district’s budget.
This decision comes as the district faces a massive deficit for the current school year, now estimated at about $50 millionwhich hadn’t been previously disclosed. The financial crisis has led to a wave of changes, including the resignation of the Chief Financial Officer and a shift in board dynamics.
Resignations and Reasons
Daniel Callthe longest-tenured member of the EPISD school board, first elected in 2019, represents District 7, which primarily includes the Coronado high school feeder pattern. Call expressed his disagreement with the board’s direction but emphasized his commitment to the district’s best interests.
“No trustee gets every decision right, and I certainly haven’t. But I leave with a clear conscience, knowing I always tried to do what I believed was best for the district,” Call said. He also noted that while he respectfully and strongly disagreed with the board’s chosen path, he stood when it would have been easier to sit and spoke when it would have been easier to remain silent.
Valerie Ganelon Bealselected in 2026 to represent District 6, which primarily covers the Franklin High School feeder pattern, cited personal reasons for her resignation. Beals, 37, is moving to help her mother-in-law deal with stage 4 colon cancer.
“At the end of the day, I have to take care of my family first. I have been so blessed to have learned so much from the board and I never regret my decision to serve. My job isn’t over yet. I will still be supporting our students and community, and will pray for EPISD,” Beals said.
The Path Forward
The remaining five board members now face the task of filling the vacancies left by Call and Beals. They have two options: calling a special election or appointing trustees to represent the two districts until 2027, when the next election is scheduled.
Board President Leah Hanany thanked Call and Beals for their service and expressed the board’s commitment to rebuilding the district with Superintendent Brian Lusk.
“The students, staff, and community of El Paso ISD deserve a board committed to solutions and focused on the work ahead. We will continue working with Dr. Lusk and his administration to restore confidence and ensure the District emerges stronger,” Hanany said.
The board voted 5-1 on Thursday in favor of the financial exigency declaration, which allowed the district to head off a $40 million deficit for the 2026-27 school year. The declaration empowered Lusk to break contracts, including employment contracts, leading to the termination of 94 employees, a mixture of teachers and administrators.
Financial Turmoil and Leadership Changes
The district has been in turmoil since early May, when officials were informed by Chief Financial Officer Martha Aguirre that EPISD was running a massive deficit. Aguirre resigned two days later. Superintendent Brian Lusk stated that Aguirre had repeatedly misled the administration and board about EPISD’s financial condition.
Consultants hired by the district recommended that EPISD declare financial exigency, an extreme step acknowledging that the district was unable to continue day-to-day operations as currently structured. The cuts, along with attrition and elimination of vacant positions, would reduce the district’s payroll by $40 million and eliminate 8% to 9% of employees, or more than 600 positions.
This is the largest one-time workforce reduction for an El Paso County school district. The financial crisis has also led to a shift in board dynamics, with a new majority skeptical of the process used in previous school closures. The new majority elected Hanany as board president and voted to keep open one of the schools slated for closure, Lamar Elementary in West-Central El Paso.
Call and Beals were part of a four-member majority of the board from 2026 to 2026 that was supportive of then-Superintendent Diana Sayavedra and her plan called Destination District Redesign. The plan, a response to declining student enrollment, included the closure of eight elementary schools after the 2026-25 and 2026-26 school years.
Sayavedra resigned in June 2026 as she faced increasing pressure from the new board majority. Aguirre was named interim superintendent, and Lusk, who had been a long-time administrator in Dallas ISD, was named permanent superintendent in December.