Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

HOW THE SUPERINTENDENT AT EL PASO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

MAKES STUDENTS “DISAPPEAR” TO INCREASE DISTRICT WIDE TAKS TEST SCORES

State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh opposes a tax increase for the El Paso Independent School District, saying its leadership is inefficient, central administration salaries are bloated, and Bowie High School has violated the civil rights of students.

Lorenzo García, superintendent of the El Paso Independent School District, said Saturday that he stands ready to cooperate in a federal investigation of standardized testing programs and is confident the findings will show he runs an honest system.

State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh on Friday accused Austin High School of being part of a scam to improperly raise standardized test scores in the El Paso Independent School District.

Three years ago, 352 underperforming sophomores disappeared from Austin before they could take the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test, Shapleigh said.

Confused by the back-and-forth between state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh and the administration of the El Paso Independent School District?

You're not alone.

Part of what happens when you have high-profile community members like Shapleigh and EPISD Superintendent Lorenzo García going at it in public is a muddying of fact and a soiling of reputations.