Socorro ISD is considering a $2,500 payout for up to 50 employees who agree to voluntarily resign, a move district leaders say could reduce the need for deeper staff cuts after voters turned down a local tax measure this fall. The proposed incentive would target certain probationary, non-certified and term-contracted staff and is set to come before the school board at its meeting this week.
According to CBS4, the draft plan would limit the offer to 50 employees and require formal resignation notices by April, with those resignations taking effect at the end of the 2025–26 contract year. As of publication, the station reported that neither the district nor the Socorro Education Association had commented on the proposal.
Context: past buyouts, layoffs and the failed tax vote
District officials have turned to voluntary separation offers before as a way to trim costs. In March 2025 the board approved a $2,500 incentive for the first 100 qualifying employees, a move administrators said could shave millions from payroll, as reported by KVIA. By May, trustees voted not to renew dozens of teacher contracts as part of an effort to cut about $38 million from the following year’s budget, while hundreds of staff members submitted resignation notices, according to El Paso Matters.
In November, voters narrowly rejected the district’s VATRE (Proposition A), which would have provided additional revenue. That failure pushed officials to plan for higher employee health insurance premiums and short-term borrowing, KVIA reported.
What staff should know and next steps
The board is slated to take up the new $2,500 resignation incentive at its meeting this week. If trustees sign off, eligible employees would need to follow the district’s human resources procedures and file the required separation form by the deadline that is ultimately set.
Employees looking for specifics on eligibility, timelines, or forms can check the Socorro ISD website or contact the district’s human resources office for the latest details.
