In a district already grappling with financial and operational challenges, the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) finds itself under scrutiny once again. This time, the focus is on a troubling pattern of missed performance evaluations for top administrators, raising serious questions about accountability and transparency.
The controversy began in, when former Superintendent Diana Sayavedra sent an unusual request to six members of her cabinet and two other employees. She asked them to create performance evaluations for the prior three years on documents she had provided and send them back to her personal email address. This request, made less than two months after her retirement, set off a chain of events that would ultimately expose a systemic issue within the district.
Audit reveals widespread evaluation failures
Chief Internal Auditor Mayra Martinez launched an investigation after learning of Sayavedra’s request. The subsequent audit report, dated Sept. 11, 2026, revealed that neither Sayavedra nor her predecessor, Juan Cabrera, had consistently evaluated the performance of their cabinet officials since 2013. This finding is particularly concerning given that the texas education Code requires annual evaluations of administrators and prohibits the use of district funds to pay administrators who haven’t been evaluated in the preceding 15 months.
The audit found that Sayavedra completed only 12% of the required evaluations during her tenure, while Cabrera completed just 14%. The report also noted that only 38% of employees reporting to cabinet members in 2026-24 had been evaluated that year. These findings suggest a systemic breakdown in the evaluation process, rather than an isolated lapse.
Implications for district credibility and morale
David DeMatthews, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, expressed deep concern about the findings. He noted that the district has a legacy of concerns around transparency and operationsand that these latest revelations are frustrating and disappointing. DeMatthews emphasized that the findings will likely erode trust among principals, teachers, and other employees who are regularly evaluated and held accountable for their work.
The audit report is just the latest in a long string of questionable decisions and poor leadership that have plagued EPISD. The district has faced numerous challenges in recent years, including falling enrollment, financial difficulties, and controversies surrounding previous superintendents. The current controversy is likely to further damage the district’s credibility and morale.
The role of human resources and recommended reforms
The audit report also highlighted breakdowns by the district’s human resources staff. Martinez noted that HR did not consistently monitor or ensure compliance with evaluation requirements for the superintendent and cabinet-level personnel. She recommended that the board clarify the role of the superintendent emerita and that future superintendents be explicitly reminded of their obligations to conduct evaluations of their direct reports.
Martinez also suggested that HR use technology to reduce reliance on manual tracking of performance evaluations for the district’s more than 7,000 employees. These recommendations aim to address the systemic issues that have contributed to the current controversy and prevent similar lapses in the future.
The El Paso ISD controversy serves as a stark reminder of the importance of accountability and transparency in educational leadership. As the district works to address its financial and operational challenges, it must also prioritize rebuilding trust with its community and ensuring that all employees are held to the same standards of performance and evaluation.