"ARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT AND RELEASE STATE OF TEXAS § § KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: COUNTY OF EL PASO § ‘THIS VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT AND RELEASE (“Agreement”) is made by and between the SOCORRO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT (“District”), a political subdivision of the State of Texas, acting by and through its Board of Trustees (“Board”) and JOSE ESPINOZA (“Espinoza”). ‘The Agreement is the final agreement between the District and Espinoza, and it controls the contractual employment relationship between the parties hereto after the date of the Agreement. WHEREAS, Espinoza is currently employed as Superintendent by the District under a Socorro Independent School District Superintendent's Employment Contract, dated September 4, 2012, as amended (the “Contract”); and WHEREAS, the current term of the Contract shall expire on September 9, 2026; and WHEREAS, Espinoza and the Board have reached a mutually acceptable agreement for Espinoza to resign his position as Superintendent of the District effective at 11:59 p.m., May 5, 2021; and WHEREAS, the Board concludes that this Agreement will serve a legitimate purpose related to the educational mission of the District; WHEREAS, it is strictly the voluntary act of Espinoza to voluntarily resign his employment as Superintendent of the District because Espinoza believes it will be in his best interest and that of the District to voluntarily resign his position as Superintendent of the District effective at 11:59 pm., May 5, 2021 ‘VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT. PAGEWITNESSETH: NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the recitals, terms, conditions and mutual ‘covenants herein, the parties hereto do hereby agree as follows: 1. Espinoza does hereby voluntarily submit his resignation as the Superintendent effective at 11:59 p.m. May 5, 2021, and the Trustees do hereby accept his resignation as Superintendent effective at 11:59 p.m. May 5, 2021. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Espinoza shall be paid his full salary and benefits according to the terms stated in his Contract through May 5, 2021, including payment for any and all accrued but unused vacation days in accordance with section 5(N) of the Contract, which shall occur on or before May 6, 2021. 2, In consideration of Espinoza voluntarily resigning his position as Superintendent of the District, the District shall pay Espinoza, on or before May 6, 2021, the sum of SIX HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED EIGHT AND NO/100 DOLLARS ($629,308.00) (“Total Settlement Payment”), representing one year's salary and benefits pursuant to the Contract. The Total Settlement Payment shall be paid as follows: (a) On or before May 6, 2021, FIVE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE AND NO/100 DOLLARS ($565,865.00) paid jointly to Espinoza and Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C., and delivered to the law offices of Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C., 3950 Highway 360, Grapevine, Texas, 76051; The District shall withhold applicable state and federal deductions from this portion of the Total Settlement Payment, but shall not withhold any payments to the Teachers Retirement System from the Total Settlement Payment. VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT PAGE?(b) On or before May 6, 2021, SIXTY-THREE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED FORTY-THREE AND NO/100 DOLLARS ($63,443.00) to be paid for the benefit of Espinoza as follows: Plan ‘Amount/Paid on or before May 6, 2021 ‘Socorro ISD Employer Paid 403(b) Plan 344,666.00 ‘Socorro ISD 457(b) $18,777.00 Total $63,443.00 The District shall fund the existing supplemental retirement plans of the District to which the amounts shall be contributed as specified above for the Employer Paid 403(b) Plan, the ‘Voluntary 457(b) Plan and the 401(a) (the “Current Plans”). The District and Superintendent agree to execute any and all forms, documents and/or elections necessary to implement the contributions to the Current Plans as provided herein, The District and Superintendent acknowledge that the Employer Paid 403(b) Plan and the 401(a) Plan shall be non-elective, and the Superintendent shall not have any right to receive contributions specified herein in cash. The Current Plans shall provide that the contributions made to each plan and all earnings thereon shall be fully vested in the Superintendent at all times. The funds for the Current Plans shall be invested in such investment vehicles as are allowable under the Code for the applicable types of plans, Texas law and the terms of the Current Plans, and such investment vehicles shall be determined solely by the Superintendent. Espinoza shall pay any taxes lawfully due on these payments, if any. Contributions by the District shall first be made to the Section 403(b) plan, up to the contribution limit under the Code. Contributions by the District shall next be made to the Section 457(b) plan, up to the contribution limit under the Code and finally to the 401(a) plan, up to the contribution limit. If there is a difference between the amount set forth in section 2(b) of this, ‘Agreement and the actual amount of the contributions to the 403(b), 401(a) and 457(b) Plans as a VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT. agesresult of maximum contribution limits, the excess shall be added to and paid in accordance with section 2(a) of this Agreement. The intent being that the District would make the maximum allowable contributions to the Current Plans and the excess, if any, would be paid in accordance with section 2(2). 3. The District shall withhold applicable state and federal deductions, but shall not withhold any payments to the Teachers Retirement System from the Total Settlement Payment and/or the payment for accrued but unused vacation days. 4, The District warrants and represents that the District has sufficient funds budgeted to cover its obligations pursuant to this Agreement, as well as any penalties assessed against the District as a result of this Agreement. The District shall take any and all necessary measures, including, without limitation, making any and all budget amendments, if any, to authorize payment of the Total Settlement Payment and other payments in accordance with the terms of this ‘Agreement so that it complies with section 44.006 of the Texas Education Code. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if the District fails to timely make the Total Settlement Payment in the manner as specifically set forth herein, to the extent it may be permitted to do so by applicable law, the district will pay for Espinoza’s expenses and attorney's fees incurred by Espinoza to enforce the provisions of the Agreement regarding the Total Settlement Payment. If not permitted, then Espinoza shall be entitled to recover from the District any and all reasonable costs, expenses and attorney's fees incurred by Espinoza to enforce the provisions of the Agreement regarding the Total Settlement Payment in addition to any other relief Espinoza shall be entitled to recover. 5. Onor before 5:00 p.m., May 9, 2021, Espinoza shall return to District all keys, cell phones, computers, credit cards, if any, and other property, if any, of the District in Espinoza’s possession as it relates to Espinoza’s employment as the Superintendent of the District. VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT Paaia6. Ata time to be mutually agreed upon by and between Espinoza and the District, but in any event no later than 5:00 p.m., May 9, 2021, Espinoza shall remove his personal effects and property from the Superintendent's office 7. To the extent it may be permitted to do so by applicable law, the District does hereby agree to defend, hold harmless, and indemnify Espinoza from any and all demands, claims, including but not limited to suits, actions, judgments, expenses and attomeys' fees incurred in any legal proceedings or administrative proceedings currently pending or subsequently hereto brought against Espinoza in his individual capacity or his official capacity as an employee and as Superintendent of the District, providing the incident(s) which is (are) the basis of any claim or Iawsuit arose or does arise in the future while Espinoza, as Superintendent and as an employee of the District, was acting within the scope of Espinoza's employment with the District; excluding, however, those claims or any causes of action where it is determined that Espinoza committed a criminal act, official misconduct, or committed a willful or wrongful act or omission, or an act oF ‘omission constituting gross negligence, or acted in bad faith, with conscious indifference or reckless disregard; and excluding any costs, fees, expenses or damages that would be recoverable or payable ‘under an insurance contract, held either by the District or by Espinoza. The selection of Espinoza's legal counsel shall be made with the mutual agreement of Espinoza and the District, which agreement will not be unreasonably withheld by either party. A legal defense may be provided through insurance coverage. 8. The District and Espinoza do hereby agree to be responsible for and pay for each of their respective attorneys’ fees incurred by the District and Espinoza in connection with the negotiation of this Agreement. 9. After May 5, 2021, Espinoza agrees to provide assistance to and cooperate with the District, its Board, Trustees, agents, and attomeys in response to, or in defense of, any demand, claim, complaint, suit, action or legal proceeding brought against the District, Board, its Trustees, or INTARYagents, arising from any acts or events alleged to have occurred during the term of Espinoza’s employment with the District, at no additional expense to the District other than reimbursement to Espinoza for his documented reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket expenses, plus reimbursement of any salary lost by Espinoza by virtue of his taking time off from his then current employment to assist the District at its request. If Espinoza is not employed at the time, the District shall compensate him at Espinoza’s daily rate of pay, calculated by dividing his salary under the Contract by 226. Requests for assistance from Espinoza with respect to such matters shall be made through the Board of Trustees’ President, any successor Superintendent, and/or legal counsel for the District, and the amount to be reimbursed to Espinoza shall be mutually agreed upon in advance. 10. _Expressly as part of the consideration of this Agreement, Espinoza docs hereby, and for his heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, totally and completely, fully and finally, RELEASE, ACQUIT and FOREVER DISCHARGE the District and its employees, attorneys and agents, the Board and each and every Board Member (both individually and in the Board Members’ official capacities), past and current, of and from any and all claims, actions, causes of action, demands, rights, damages (including, but not limited to, consequential damages), costs, attorney's fees, expenses and compensation whatsoever, known or unknown, which Espinoza had, has, or which may hereafter accrue on account of or in any way growing or arising out of Espinoza's employment relationship with District and/or relationship with the District’s Board and/or each and every Board Member (both individually and in the Board Members’ official capacities) past and present. This release shall be effective upon the full and complete performance of Board and District with the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement, Without in any ‘way limiting the scope of this release, Espinoza intends to release any claims made by Espinoza for personal embarrassment, mental and physical strain and injury, and for damages to his reputation, and any rights, which Espinoza may have under any federal or state constitutions, laws, rules, regulations, or public policy. Such constitutions, laws, rules or regulations include, but again are VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT aoenot limited to, the United States Constitution, the Constitution of the State of Texas, 42 U.S.C. § 1983, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation ‘Act of 1973, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and any further or other federal or state discrimination laws, employment laws or workers compensation or benefit laws, as now or hereafter enacted. ‘The District and the Board (individually and collectively) likewise totally and completely, fully and finally, RELEASE, ACQUIT and FOREVER DISCHARGE Espinoza, his attorneys and agents, of and from any and all claims, actions, causes of action, demands, rights, damages (including, but not limited to, consequential damages), costs, attorney's fees, expenses and compensation whatsoever, of any kind or character, known or unknown, which the District, Board and/or Trustees (individually and collectively) had, has, or which may hereafter accrue on account of or in any way growing or arising out of Espinoza's employment relationship with District and/or relationship with the Board and/or each and every one of the Trustees past and present excluding, however, those claims or any causes of action where it is determined that Espinoza committed a criminal act, official misconduct, or committed a willful or wrongful act or omission, or an act or omission constituting gross negligence, or acted in bad faith, with conscious indifference or reckless disregard. Espinoza expressly covenants and agrees not to sue or participate, unless required by court order, in any federal or state judicial or state administrative proceeding against the District or its Board, Trustees, officers, employees, representatives, agents or attomeys, in their official or individual capacities, related to or concerning his employment as Superintendent by the District, the Board member’s actions regarding his employment as Superintendent of the District, or his, voluntary resignation from employment as Superintendent of the District. VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT ace‘The District, Board and Trustees expressly covenant and agree not to sue or participate, unless required by court order, in any federal or state judicial or administrative proceeding against Espinoza his agents or attorneys, related to or concerning Espinoza’s employment with the District or his resignation of that employment. Furthermore, the District and Board covenant and agree not to raise, prosecute, or participate in any grievance, complaint, or other claim against Espinoza, and will take such action or actions as may be necessary or required to withdraw or dismiss with prejudice any such grievance, complaint, or claim raised by the District, excluding, however, those claims or any causes of action where it is determined that Espinoza committed a criminal act, official misconduct, or committed a willful or wrongful act or omission, or an act or omission constituting gross negligence, or acted in bad faith, with conscious indifference or reckless disregard. “Administrative proceeding”, as used in this Agreement, includes, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, any hearing or appeal before the District's Board of Trustees, or before the State Board for Educator Certification, or before the State Board of Education, or before the ‘Texas Education Agency under the Texas Education Code. ‘The District, Board and Espinoza agree and understand that the Agreement constitutes a compromise and release, and, except to the extent expressly set forth herein, terminates all rights of both parties relating to the Contract by and between Espinoza and the District concerning service as Superintendent of the District. ‘The release includes all contractual rights, liberty rights, constitutional rights, statutory rights, and any other rights or claims, including but not limited to, claims, under 42 USC 1983, Title VII, personal injury, slander, unemployment, property damage, and any EEOC or TCHRA claims either under state or federal law, known or unknown, that might conceivably be asserted by either party. 11. The parties agree to issue a joint public statement attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference as Exhibit “A” (“Joint Statement”). Furthermore, Espinoza shall be provided a letter of reference signed by the Board President. ‘The parties agree that the Board President shall VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT Paar.prepare a mutually acceptable letter of reference, the form of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference as Exhibit “B.” ‘The Board, individually and collectively, do hhereby agree that each of them shall refer any third party inquiries regarding Espinoza’s employment as an employee of the District and as the Superintendent of the District to the Agreement and Joint Statement, through the Board President. Nothing in this Agreement should be construed to prevent Espinoza from requesting a personal reference, oral or written, from a District employee or Trustee, in their personal and individual capacity, or to prevent such District employee or Trustee from providing such a personal reference to Espinoza. 12. The Agreement constitutes the entirety of the understanding between all the parties hereto. The Agreement shall be binding upon all the parties hereto, their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns. 13, The Agreement is hereby deemed performable entirely in El Paso County, Texas, and shall be governed, construed and enforced in accordance with and subject to the laws of the State of Texas. Mandatory and exclusive venue for any lawsuit or adjudicative proceeding brought by either party to the contract shall be in El Paso County, Texas. 14. The Agreement may be executed in a number of identical counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original for all purposes and all of which shall constitute one document. Al the parties hereto further agree that they shall execute any and all documents necessary to affect, the intent and purposes of the Agreement, Further, the Agreement supersedes any and all prior oral or written agreements, arrangements, employment contracts, or understandings between the parties. ‘The Agreement may be modified or terminated only in writing, executed by all the parties hereto, 15, In accordance with Section 105.1021(b) of Chapter 19 of the Texas Administrative Code, the District shall report the Severance Compensation made to Superintendent by filing a Superintendent Payment Disclosure Form with the Texas Education Agency (“TEA”) not later than the 60th day after the execution of this Agreement. VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT. aes16. The Board of Trustees acknowledges and understands that payment of the Total Settlement Payment may implicate Section 11.201(c) of the Texas Education Code and/or Section 105.1021 of Chapter 19 of the Texas Administrative Code, 17. The Parties acknowledge that they have been represented by counsel and shall bear their own attomeys’ fees and costs in connection with the negotiation, preparation, and execution of this Agreement 18. The Parties acknowledge that the Total Settlement Payment is less than the amount ‘owed under the Contract (j.e., less than the face value of the Contract) and, therefore, does not require a public hearing pursuant to Section 180.007 of the Texas Local Government Code. 19. The Board of Trustees has been authorized to execute this Agreement on behalf of the District by action of a majority of a quorum of the Trustees present at a properly called and posted meeting on May 5, 2021 VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT Pack 10IN WITNESS WHEREOF, all the parties hereto have executed the Agreement in multiple originals to be effective from and after May 5, 2021 SOCORRO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DistRICT CYNTHIA ANN NAJERA, President Board of Trustees Socorro Independent School District i ; PAUL GUERRA, Secretary Board of Trustees Socorro Independent School District Approved as to Form Attorney forSocorro Independent School District SUPERINTENDENT JOSE ESPINOZA! Superhondeat Socorro Independent School District PARY Si 7 AartEXHIBIT “A” VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT. PAGE 2SOCORRO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT JOINT STATEMENT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND JOSE ESPINOZA Dr. Jose Espinoza has announced his resignation as Superintendent of Schools for the Socorro Independent School District. An agreement has been reached which allows Dr. Espinoza the ability to pursue other interests and permits the Board to pursue hiring another Superintendent, The Board and Dr. Espinoza have entered into the agreement believing it is in their respective best interests and in the best interests of the Socorro Independent School District. “When I was hired in 2012, it was love at first sight for me when I met all the outstanding students, employees, and community of Socorro ISD. I knew from day one that this was a place I wanted to raise my kids and be a part of for many years. [thank all of our school community for nine amazing years of achieving success as a team. I fully understand that when a new board majority is elected, ‘they want to hire their own superintendent. I am confident that Socorro ISD will continue its legacy of success and teamwork under new leadership. My wife and I take with us countless memories that we will cherish forever of our amazing journey with Team SISD,” said Superintendent Espinoza, Speaking on behalf of the Board of Trustees, Board President, Cynthia Najera, praised the superintendent for his unique ability to build a strong sense of unity and teamwork both within the district and between the district and the community. “On behalf of the SISD Board, we express our sincere appreciation to Dr. Espinoza for his amazing commitment and dedication to our students and community while serving as Superintendent, He has led our schools and district to unprecedented success during his nine years in the district and united us to achieve success as a team. We wish Dr. Espinoza the very best in his new endeavors and will fondly remember him as a humble, hard-working leader who truly loved and advocated for our students as if they were his own children,” said School Board President Najera ‘As a direct result of Dr. Espinoza’s numerous academic initiatives and programs, SISD’s student performance has consistently increased over the last nine years. In May 2012, SISD was behind the state in 9 out of 17 STAAR exams for students in grades three through eight. Flash forward and SISD students have now outscored the Texas passing rates in ALL 17 STAAR exams in grades three through eight for six consecutive years. Under Dr. Espinoza’s leadership, Socorro ISD is the largest school district in the state of Texas to eam both of the state’s top honors including an A grade and the prestigious Postsecondary Readiness Distinction Designation, Socorro ISD is the only district to reach this milestone in a pool of the largest 25 schoo! districts in the state while notably serving an over 90% minority and over 70% economically disadvantaged student population. During Dr. Espinoza’s tenure, Socorro ISD became the first district in a non-HEB market to earn the coveted HEB Excellence in Education Award for Outstanding Large District; eared an $800,000 W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant for the nationally recognized WIN Academy that he launched to support vulnerable children in the district; and won a $300,000 Raise Your Hand Texas Blended Learners Grant due to the district’s suecess in building blended learning environments for students, Dr. Espinoza created the aforementioned WIN Academy to close achievement gaps and invest in ‘our vulnerable students; initiated Operation College Bound to ensure all students had a path to college, including establishing new early college high schools at every one of our comprehensive high schools; led our Operation Future Ready initiative to pave the path for successful blended earning; and, to ensure the highest standards of accountability, created a first-ever and first-of-its-kind Academic Internal Audit system to trust but verify our district's compliance with state and federal regulations. In addition, he led the formation and passage of a $448.5 million Bond in 2017 to improve aging facilities, including the reconstruction of Socorro High School, and to keep up with community growth. Dr. Espinoza has gone above and beyond to provide endless opportunities for our employees as well, Socorro ISD is widely regarded as the very best district in growing our own leaders under Dr. Espinoza’s leadership. Early on in his tenure, he launched a first-of-its-kind Leadership Academy in our region in which assistant principals were selected and prepared to become campus principals and district leaders, The majority, if not all, of SISD’s assistant principals who participated in its first-ever Socorro ISD Leadership Academy are either principals or district leaders in Socorro ISD or in another district in our region. Due to Dr. Espinoza’s guidance and never-ending encouragement, countless administrators have followed suit and grown professionally as well. Other employee professional growth opportunities that Dr. Espinoza championed include the Nationally Recognized Building Friends for the Future (BFF) new teacher mentor program in which new teachers are paired with veteran teachers to ensure a great start to their profession, the Grow Your Own Grant that allows instructional aides to earn their bachelor’s degree and certification to transition into full-time teaching roles, a partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso in which our teachers and staff are provided with the opportunity to get their masters and doctoral degrees in the comfort of our own district facilities, and a TEA Principal Residency Grant that gives SISD teachers an innovative opportunity to participate in the Texas Tech Principal Fellows program. Students and employees alike have benefited greatly from Dr. Espinoza’s vision of excellence. His proven record of success is widely admired and respected by our school community, Notably, when the IDEA charter network opened its four new campuses near SISD's boundaries, Dr. Espinoza launched a fierce and passionate team approach to educating our parents on differences between our public school district and charter schools. Modeling his data-driven approach after Jaime Escalante, he coordinated a “Stand and Deliver” walkathon in which about 300 employees visited nearly 10,000 homes to inform parents about why SISD was the right choice for endless opportunities. Dr. Espinoza won a 2019 Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) Best in Writing Category Award for his editorial, “Whar the public isn't told about charters’ 100 percent college acceptance rates.” As a result of Dr. Espinoza’s unique ability to inspire and unite our team with his Stand and Deliver initiative, IDEA opened its schools at under capacity. Dr. Espinoza thanks the present and past Board of Trustees for providing him with the opportunity to serve the amazing students, parents, and community of Team SISD. He loves and will forever be grateful to the teachers, principals, administrators, staff, parents and patrons he has had the privilege to work with to provide all students endless opportunities to succeed. Dr. Espinoza is confident that the commitment of this great community to its children will ensure the continued success of our schools and community. In closing, the Board extends its best wishes to Dr. Espinoza in his future endeavors. On its part, the Board will soon begin its search for a new Superintendent to continue district's operations. VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT Aa 4EXHIBIT “B” VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT actsSOCORRO ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES May 5, 2021 To Whom It May Concer: It is a privilege and honor for me to write this letter of recommendation for Dr. Jose Espinoza. Serving as a Socorro ISD Trustee for 10 years including holding the role of Board President, it has been my pleasure to have worked with Dr. Espinoza towards our shared goals of providing every fone of our students with endless opportunities to succeed. Dr. Espinoza has exhibited exceptional commitment and dedication to the vision and goals of our great school community over the nine years he has held the position of Superintendent of Schools. “Achieving Success as a Team” is Dr. Espinoza’s motto that has inspired nearly 7,000 employees in our district to work together to meet Dr. Espinoza’s high expectation of educating and treating students as if they are our very own children. He is a collaborative servant leader who has created a fresh new approach to team management and leadership that has led our district to unprecedented success despite being faced by the myriad of obstacles. He has overcome each challenge with his gracefiul manner of leading by example and being a humble, hard-working member of our team, During his tenure as Superintendent of Schools for Team SISD, Socorro ISD became the first district in a non-HEB market to earn the coveted HEB Excellence in Education Award for Outstanding Large District; earned an $800,000 W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant for the nationally recognized WIN Academy that he launched to support vulnerable children in the district; and won a $300,000 Raise Your Hand Texas Blended Learners Grant due to the district's success in building blended learning environments for students. Dr. Espinoza created the aforementioned WIN Academy in SISD to close achievement gaps and invest in our vulnerable students; initiated Operation College Bound to ensure all students had a path to college, including establishing new early college high schools at every one of our comprehensive high schools; developed and led our Operation Future Ready initiative to pave the path for successful blended learning; and, to ensure the highest standards of accountability, created a first-ever and first-of-its-kind Academic Intemal Audit system to trust but verify our distriet’s compliance with state and federal regulations. In addition, he led the formation and passage of a $448.5 million Bond in 2017 to improve aging facilities, including the reconstruction of Socorro High School, and to keep up with community growth, As a direct result of Dr. Espinoza’s outstanding leadership, our students’ performance has ‘consistently increased over the last nine years. In May 2012, SISD was behind the state in 9 out of 17 STAAR exams for students in grades three through eight. Due to Dr. Espinoza’s numerous academic programs and initiatives, our students have now outscored the Texas passing rates in ALL 17 STAAR exams in grades three through eight for six consecutive years. His vision of excellence has led Socorro ISD to become the largest school district in the state of Texas to eam both of the state’s top honors including an A grade and the prestigious Postsecondary Readiness Distinction Designation. Socorro ISD is the only district to reach this milestone in a pool of the largest 25 school districts in the state while notably serving an over 90% minority and over 70% economically disadvantaged student population. VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMENT PAGE 16Moreover, he has admirably managed district resources enabling us to invest in all the great student programs under increasingly difficult economic circumstances while maintaining a region-leading compensation package for our highly qualified staff. Dr. Espinoza possesses a great work ethic, outmatched only by his devotion to treating and ceclucating all students as his own children and inspiring the nearly 7,000 employees in our district to do the same. He thrives on being a “change agent” for positive improvement, and is above all, always proactive. He exhibits great vision and believes in building the capacity of all school district team members. He handles school district matters with poise and diplomacy. Dr. Espinoza leads by ‘example and believes strongly in preserving the respect and dignity of every individual, Dr. Espinoza takes great pride in not only providing endless opportunities for students but he also has gone above and beyond to provide endless opportunities for our employees as well. Socorro ISD is widely regarded as the very best district in growing our own leaders under Dr. Espinoza’s leadership. Early on in his tenure, he launched a first-of-its-kind Leadership Academy in our region in which assistant principals were selected and prepared to become campus principals and district leaders. The majority, if not all, of our assistant principals who participated in our first-ever Socorro ISD Leadership Academy are either principals or district leaders in Socorro ISD or in another district in our region. Countless others have grown professionally under his guidance, Other employee professional growth opportunities Dr. Espinoza championed include the Nationally Recognized Building Friends for the Future (BFF) new teacher mentor program in which new teachers are paired with veteran teachers to ensure a great start to their profession, the Grow Your ‘Own Grant that allows instructional aides to earn their bachelor’s degree and certification to transition into full-time teaching roles, a partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso in which our teachers and staff are provided with the opportunity to get their masters and doctoral degrees in the comfort of district facilities, and a TEA Principal Residency Grant that gives SISD teachers an innovative opportunity to participate in the Texas Tech Principal Fellows program. When the IDEA charter network opened its four new campuses near SISD’s boundaries, Dr. Espinoza launched a fierce and passionate team approach to educating our parents on differences between our public school district and charter schools. Modeling his data-driven approach after Jaime Escalante, he coordinated a “Stand and Deliver” walkathon in which about 300 employees visited nearly 10,000 homes to inform parents about why SISD was the right choice for endless opportunities. Dr. Espinoza won a 2019 Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) Best in Writing Award for his editorial, “What the public isn't told about charters’ 100 percent college acceptance rates.” As a result of Dr. Espinoza’s unique ability to inspire and unite our team with his Stand and Deliver initiative, IDEA opened its schools at under capacity. For the reasons I've listed above and so many more, I highly recommend Dr. Espinoza for any position of responsibility, most especially as schoo! superintendent, Please feel free to contact me if can provide additional insight on the outstanding qualifications of Dr. Espinoza. Sincerely, Cyhthia Ann Najera, Prefident Board of Trustees Socorro Independent School District VOLUNTARY SEPARATION AGREEMEN age?