In El Paso ISD, about 255 salaried central-office employees who do not work on a campus must substitute eight days a year, four days a semester. That pool includes Superintendent Brian Lusk. There is no extra sub pay on top of salary. The district frames it as cost savings after financial exigency and a way for decision-makers to feel campus life again.
What the Mandate Is
KFOX14/CBS4 reported in August 2026 that salaried central-office employees must work as substitute teachers eight days this school year, four each semester. Hourly employees are not required to participate, and some staff may be exempt depending on how their positions are funded.
El Paso Matters put the pool at about 255 administrative employees, including communications and human resources staff, and called EPISD the only major district in the region that requires administrators to substitute. Employees get their regular salary, not the district’s usual $100-$125 daily sub rate.
Why the District Says It Is Doing This
Assistant superintendent Guy Rosales told El Paso Matters the program is meant to help cover absent teachers and give central office a clearer view of campus needs. Deputy Superintendent David Bates and other leaders tied the idea to budget repair after EPISD declared financial exigency and cut payroll. Bates told KFOX he and Lusk brought the approach from their time at Dallas ISD.
District officials told El Paso Matters they expect to save up to about $255,000 a year if all 255 employees complete the eight required days. Bates also described a larger push that eliminated a roughly $4 million substitute expense line through several moves at once: converting vacant teaching positions into long-term subs, cutting trainings that pulled teachers out of class, improving attendance, and running the central-office sub program.
What It Looks Like on a Campus
El Paso Matters reported that Lusk substituted a fourth-grade dual-language class at Logan Elementary, Chief Academic Officer Al Garcia covered a special education class at Guillen Middle, and other cabinet-level leaders were placed based on certifications rather than personal preference. Administrators went through substitute onboarding. Many received scheduled days and campuses at the start of the semester, with lesson plans waiting.
The district’s own Aug. 24, 2026 note from Lusk described central-office team members already providing substitute coverage to “walk in teachers’ shoes, keep costs down, and put strong, seasoned administrators back in classrooms when teachers are absent.”
Budget Context Teachers Should Know
KFOX reported that in June, EPISD declared financial exigency and made millions in cuts to shrink a projected roughly $47 million deficit toward about $4.3 million. The central-office sub mandate sits inside that repair project. It is one lever among several Bates described for keeping adults in front of students without rebuilding the old substitute line item dollar for dollar.
That matters for how the story travels on Facebook. “Central office has to sub” is catchy. The verified details are narrower: salaried non-campus staff, eight days, regular pay only, optional exemptions by funding source, and a projected six-figure savings figure if everyone finishes the requirement.
The Pushback Teachers Will Recognize
El Paso Teachers Association President Norma De La Rosa told El Paso Matters the initiative may help leaders make better classroom-facing decisions, and that the loudest complaint she was hearing came from career substitutes getting fewer calls. Bates said there should still be sub work as absences continue, but not always the same campuses or rooms people are used to.
Teachers already know what a short day feels like from the other side of the desk. Eight mandatory days puts salaried decision-makers into that rotation without extra pay. It does not, by itself, hire more teachers or rebuild a coverage budget that was cut in a crisis.
FAQ
Who has to sub?
About 255 salaried, non-campus central-office employees, including the superintendent. Hourly staff are not required; some funded positions may be exempt.
How many days?
Eight per school year, four per semester, on top of regular duties.
How much money does it save?
Up to about $255,000 a year if everyone completes eight days, per El Paso Matters. Broader substitute-cost cuts Bates described involve multiple strategies, not this mandate alone.