SISD’s Escontrias STEAM Academy celebrates bittersweet 100-year anniversary
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Saturday, May 18 was a day of mixed emotions for families in Socorro with close ties to the Escontrias STEAM Academy from the Socorro Independent School District.
The school, which is the birthplace of SISD, celebrated the campus’ 100-year anniversary with games, food, a car show, and other activities for families.
“The Escontrias community is special because there’s generations upon generations of families that continue to be part of the community. They don’t move out,” said Principal of Escontrias Jesse Aguirre.
Students, parents, and alumni gathered to enjoy the events, but for many, it was a bittersweet moment as the future of the school has become uncertain.
At a board meeting this past Tuesday, district officials clarified that they are not considering closing the school down, but rather relocate classes from the Escontrias Early Childhood Center in the school’s historical building, across to the main building which houses students in 2nd through 5th grade.
Officials said this could potentially save the district $1 million to help address its multi-million dollar deficit.
“A lot of parents like myself placed my child in this school (Escontrias) because it was a special, inclusive pre-K program. We’re losing that because this is one of the few campuses in the district that has the separation,” said Miriam Munoz, one among a group of parents who have started an online petition to challenge SISD potentially relocating some of the school’s classes.
“There is space, according to them. One of my first jobs was as an assistant secretary here during a summer program. I’m a graduate of both schools, and I can tell you there’s not a lot of space. There might be empty classrooms, but there’s not a lot of space,” Munoz said.
“The only reason I have my child in this early education school is because I don’t want him involved with other older kids. I prefer him to be around kids that are his age,” said Eveliz Luna, who’s also an alumni of Escontrias.
“I believe that this newer site of the school is not equipped for the children. I believe they want to convert the library into three pieces for the children that are 3, 4 years old and it’s not equipped for them. It’s going to be hot during summer. The children get frustrated fast as well, and the outdoor playground is not equipped for them,” said Luis Zargoza, whose father and now his children have attended Escontrias.
Escontrias Early Childhood Center also has specialized programs, which the district would have to move to other schools.
President of the Socorro ISD Board of Trustees Michael Najera was at the celebrations and spoke with Munoz and other parents about their concerns.
He said nothing is formalized and the ideas have not been officially recommended.
“My message to them would be one of reassurance that the campus is going nowhere,” said Najera, when asked to address concerned parents.
“The establishment of the STEAM Academy should demonstrate the commitment to this particular campus, to the school in itself,” he said. “There was simply a list of possibilities, but there have been no discussions or anything else around that. Escontrias is a cornerstone of this community. It’s a campus that we need and that we will continue to support in the district.”
Leaders from the City of Socorro were also present to join in the celebration of the historic campus and its significance to their community.
“This is the flagship school for the entire district and the City of Socorro, which is why the district is named after the City of Socorro. It all started here,” said Socorro City Rep. Rudy Cruz Jr. “You’ll see that the students that attend this facility here, more than likely their parents attended the facility and their grandparents as well. So it’s very unique. You won’t find that in a lot of places here in El Paso or even in Texas.”
Cruz said he attended Escontrias, as well as his parents and grandparents.
Socorro Mayor Ivy Avalos said she is “disheartened” that SISD could consider relocating some of Escontrias’ classes, and believes they should look elsewhere to address their budget deficit.
“Why are we closing schools? Why are we thinking of moving children when we should be thinking of opening more schools in Socorro?” Avalos said. “I really hope that the Board of Trustees will reconsider some of these opinions. I’m here to be with the parents, the children. That’s the most important thing for us in Socorro.”
Munoz and Luna said there is a meeting scheduled at 8:30 am on Tuesday, May 21 at Escontrias with the school principal, and they encourage other parents to join them in their efforts to voice their concerns.
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