After more than two years of state oversight, the Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday that it had removed its conservators from the Socorro Independent School District. TEA reported that the district has met established exit criteria and implemented corrective actions.
The agency appointed conservators to the El Paso-area district in March 2024 after a state investigation exposed violations of the Texas Education Code, $283,000 in unauthorized stipend spending, and failure to disclose a trustee’s conflict of interest with a vendor.
The district entered an agreed order with TEA, which led to the appointment of conservators Andrew Kim, director of research programs and outreach at the University of Texas at Austin, and Dr. Michael Hinojosa, former superintendent of Dallas ISD.
Their primary roles were to guide the district through corrective measures and help restore effective leadership and oversight.
During the intervention, Socorro ISD addressed a $42 million budget deficit and restored a balanced budget. The district also introduced changes to budgeting, procurement, compensation practices, and internal monitoring systems to strengthen financial accountability and prevent unauthorized expenditures.
In addition, the district made changes to address academic compliance deficiencies identified during the investigation. These included strengthening graduation credit reviews, attendance monitoring, transcript analysis, and reporting procedures. TEA said the district established additional verification procedures to ensure students meet state and local requirements before their graduation is certified.
The removal of the conservators marks the completion of the agency’s intervention under the agreed order. However, TEA emphasized the importance of maintaining the improvements and continued compliance moving forward.
“I appreciate our partnership and collaboration with Socorro ISD’s Board of Trustees and staff in addressing longstanding challenges and the district’s commitment to sustained compliance moving forward,” said conservator Andrew Kim.
Kim added that the new systems for budgeting, procurement, and governance would help restore public confidence and support the district’s work serving students and families.
“This is a meaningful moment for Socorro ISD and for our entire community,” Superintendent James Vasquez said. “TEA’s decision recognizes the hard work Team SISD has done to address challenges, strengthen systems, and build a stronger foundation for the future.”
Vasquez thanked the conservators, TEA staff, and the Socorro ISD leadership and community for their work during the past two years. “We are proud of the progress made, and we remain committed to continuing this work with discipline, transparency, and a focus on student success.”
TEA appoints monitors and conservators to assist school districts with governance and operational challenges. Conservators can work directly with district leadership and provide oversight as districts implement required corrective actions. In Socorro ISD’s case, the agency said the district’s successful completion of its exit criteria allowed the conservators to be removed.
Other districts currently under TEA oversight include Connally ISD and Lake Worth ISD, where the agency has appointed boards of managers to oversee district operations. North East ISD has also faced state intervention related to its cellphone policy.
