The Socorro Independent School District is prepared to continue its next chapter in the legacy of the school district as it begins the 2025-2026 school year. Teachers and staff returned to campuses on Monday, July 28, 2025, to begin a week of preparations and professional development. The district will welcome students for the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. Socorro ISD continues to provide students with innovative, widely recognized academic, athletic, fine arts and extracurricular programs for an exceptional, comprehensive educational experience.
Lone finalist for superintendent
Socorro ISD welcomes a new permanent superintendent for the 2025-2026 school year. The SISD Board of Trustees named SISD Interim Superintendent James Vasquez as the lone finalist for superintendent of schools at its regular board meeting on June 24, 2025.
“I am extremely honored to be selected as the lone finalist to lead Socorro ISD. This is an amazing school district that I truly treasure, and I am excited to continue our momentum for further achievement,” Vasquez said. “I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees -- a great Team of Eight -- and our incredible faculty and staff to ensure an outstanding school year for students, families and community. The next chapter is ours as we carry on the legacy of success in SISD.”
Vasquez has served as the Socorro ISD interim superintendent since April 2024. During his time in that role, Vasquez has led the district through some of its most challenging times in the district’s history, overcoming a $42 million budget deficit, working to restore a depleted fund balance, and addressing declining enrollment and decreasing attendance, all while maintaining excellent student performance and faculty and staff success.
STAAR scores and Class of 2025 success
Based on preliminary 2025 State of Texas Assessments Academic Readiness (STAAR) results, Socorro ISD has increased the number of A-rated schools, decreased C-rated campuses, and does not anticipate any D or F schools in the district. SISD students lead the region in reading in grades 3 through 8, eighth grade social studies, English II, U.S. history, and algebra I.
As Socorro ISD continues its vision of Tomorrow’s Leaders Learning Today, the district is proud of the Class of 2025 success. More than 3,600 students earned their diploma in June and collectively earned. $69.1 million in scholarships, grants, military awards and dual credit funds. Nearly 450 students earned associate degrees, and 2,600 seniors earned industry certifications before graduation.
District national STEM certification
With a focus on rigorous academics and STEM education, Socorro ISD is the most recent district in the country to earn the National Certificate for STEM Excellence - District (NCSE-D) from the National Institute for STEM Education (NISE). The NCSE-D recognizes districts for their commitment to continually improving districtwide systems and structures that support STEM educators and their students. SISD is the first in West Texas and one of only three in the nation to earn the district STEM certification. It signifies a strong commitment to excellence and innovation in STEM education and demonstrates that SISD has met rigorous standards in integrating STEM into its curriculum and culture. On the road to earning the national district certification, three SISD campuses – Montwood High School, Sierra Vista STEAM Academy, and Escontrias STEAM Academy earned the NCSE - Campus Certification, and 97 teachers and administrators at the schools earned the National Certificate for STEM Teaching (NCST), further contributing to the district’s collective STEM expertise.
Opportunities for student success
The Socorro Independent School District remains committed to providing a high-quality, rigorous and relevant education to ensure students are prepared for a successful and prosperous future. SISD’s experienced, highly qualified educators and staff are ALL IN to ensure students receive the best instruction and support to achieve success now and in the future. SISD provides free Pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds, elementary academies, dual language academy, free college courses, advanced academic academies, leading comprehensive special education, award-winning fine arts, championship athletics, advanced career and technical training and world-class facilities.
Balanced budget
Over the past year, Socorro ISD has worked diligently to reduce the multi-million-dollar budget deficit, adjusting campus and department budgets, travel, programs, staffing, and employee healthcare. In Spring 2024, the deficit was projected at $42 million and was reduced to $24 million by June 2024 through attrition, closed positions, and healthcare redesign. By February 2025, the projected deficit was $38 million. The Board of Trustees, Vasquez, along with the TEA conservators, the senior leadership team, and the financial services and human resources departments collaborated to make difficult decisions and take bold action to bring down the deficit. With the passage of House Bill 2, the district received $26 million, with the majority going toward teacher salaries, but with about $8 million left which enabled SISD to cover the remaining deficit and balance the budget.
Finance and Operations Advisory Committee
Over the summer, Socorro ISD convened the Finance and Operations Advisory Committee, a 36-member group composed of board-appointed and superintendent-appointed individuals from both within Socorro ISD and the broader community. It was designed to provide strategic guidance, community insight, and fiscal oversight and help the district address key challenges such as declining enrollment, rising operational costs, and the need to rebuild the fund balance. After an in-depth review of district finances, the committee presented three key recommendations to the Board of Trustees: take corrective action to stabilize the health care fund, study building utilization to guide future boundary adjustments and potential school consolidations and consider a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election to increase revenue. The board will consider the recommendations for the next steps to strengthen SISD’s fiscal solvency.
Next chapter is ours
As the new school year begins, Socorro ISD remains committed to building on its momentum and write the next chapter of success—together. The district has met numerous challenges with determination and heart and is united more than ever. The next step is to consider whether the district moves ahead with minimal fixes or invest in long-term improvements.
“Socorro ISD has always been a leader in education. I credit the amazing people in our community – the teachers, parents, custodians, police officers, principals, librarians, bus drivers, maintenance workers – everyone who tirelessly steps up for SISD,” Vasquez said. “We’re not making a comeback because we never left. We’re building on our success with resiliency and courage. Now is our time to transition from surviving to thriving in our next chapter.”