Est. 1981
Vol. 70, Issue 4
Fe b r u a r y 1 8 - Fe b r u a r y 2 5 , 2 0 2 5
THE PAISANO
Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio Community /PaisanoOnline
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Crime most important election issue IN S.A. FOR 2024 By Jake Mireles Editor-in-Chief
A
poll conducted by the Center for Public Opinion Research at UTSA found that crime was the most important issue concerning Bexar County voters in the 2024 General Election. The survey was conducted from Oct. 28, 2024, the day early voting started in Texas, to Nov. 4, 2024, the day before election day. There were 829 registered Bexar County residents polled, with 642 residing in the city limits of San Antonio. According to the report released by the CPOR, respondents were asked to “identify the most important problem facing Bexar County today.” The poll found that 14.8% of respondents identified crime as the most important issue facing Bexar County. Homelessness was second with 9.2%, followed by affordable housing at 8.6%. The importance of crime to Bexar County voters is not uncommon compared to other major metropolitan areas in Texas. According to a poll conducted by the University of Houston Hobby School for Public Affairs, crime and rising property taxes are tied for the single most serious issue facing Harris
County. Both categories concerned 16% of respondents, with electrical service reliability following at 12%. The survey polled 491 likely voters in Harris County. The poll conducted by the CPOR saw several trends emerge among Bexar County voters concerning the six propositions that were passed during the 2024 election. Two contentious propositions — Prop C and Prop E — saw deviations in support based on the language presented to the voter. Prop C removes salary and tenure caps for the city manager position. Before the proposition was passed, caps limited the role to an eight-year term and a salary no greater than ten times the lowest-paid salaried city worker. Prop E gives salary raises of approximately $25,000 to both the mayor and city council positions. The CPOR tested the support of Bexar County residents for these propositions. Respondents were given the proposition language as they were presented on the ballot and a simplified explanation about what the propositions would accomplish. The poll found that respondents were less likely to support Propositions C and E if they read the simplified explanation.
CPOR poll uncovers trends with voter concerns, engagement, proposition support disparities
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‘Creating that more North East ISD shuts informed, engaged and down three schools proud roadrunner’ By Khoi Nguyen Staff Writer
SGA promotes organization revamp, more time off for students, wellbeing services
why, in the fall 2024 general election, we filled nearly every single one of those empty seats.” Student Government Association Attendance rose significantly for the President Aydan Villarreal’s State of Meet Your Representative event, as the Student Body address touted the Villarreal claimed that only 40 students organization’s attempts to rebrand, had attended the year prior. Additionally, announced more time off for students Villarreal reports that SGA has seen during the academic year and stressed increased engagement at tabling events and the importance of using new resources their bi-weekly general assemblies. provided by Wellbeing Services. “I’m proud to say that this has been the Student representatives and SGA officers most visible SGA administration in history, have engaged in a plan to revamp the and along with our senators, we remade organization and its image to the student SGA to be an organization that is known body. The organization has strived to be and trusted by our students,” Villarreal said. more effective in its advocacy efforts SGA also announced that UTSA will be and more accessible to the students they giving students more time off during the represent. upcoming fall semester. “It was just 10 months ago that your “I’m thrilled to announce that in the fall elected officers began to work on a plan that of this year, UTSA will be implementing would realign SGA back to its main vision, more time off for students. It’s another step being a unifying voice and advocate for UTSA is taking to continue being a model you, the students,” Villarreal said. for student success,” Villarreal said. SGA officers have learned about However, Villarreal did not elaborate on university processes, resources and longthe subject, and the specifics of this remain standing traditions. These include Día en unknown. la Sombrilla, Best Fest and the University Villarreal also stressed the use of Life Awards. Additionally, SGA officers TimelyCare, a 24/7 mental health support engaged with incoming freshmen at app available to UTSA Students through summer orientation sessions and held the Wellbeing Services. The app added a “talk Meet Your Representatives event. now” feature that allows students to receive Villarreal promoted the Meet Your immediate support from their phones. Representatives event as a success for “Now, this is an entire UT systemSGA. Despite low occupancy for senator wide initiative and students at UTSA are positions in the organization, SGA used this taking advantage of this free resource at event to fill vacancies. a higher rate than any other school in the “This year, we had the added UT institution, and it’s working with over burden of barely having any 88% of those ‘talk now’ users reporting elected representatives improved mental health,” Villarreal said. for students to meet,” The address closed with Villarreal Villarreal said. “This claiming that the work of his administration year, I’m eager to was not finished despite the upcoming SGA report that we had election season. over 100 students “Now, the work of this administration is in attendance, not done. We’re not going anywhere. This and that’s is not a farewell address,” Villarreal said. “Until our successors are inaugurated, we will work tirelessly to improve your student experience. It has truly been hard work to realign SGA and re-implement our place with the student body. This hard work will pay off.” The next SGA general assembly will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the HarrisTravis Room (2.202 and 2.212) in the SGA president Aydan Villarreal alludes to more H-E-B Student Union. All UTSA students time off for students in Fall of 2025. are welcome to attend.
By Jake Mireles Editor-in-Chief
Declining enrollment and budget deficits have pushed North East Independent School District to close three of its schools. This marks the sixth San Antonio school district closing schools, contributing to 26 total shuttered schools across the city since 2023. Nearly three months after the closure was proposed, the NEISD board voted on Feb. 10 to shut down Wilshire Elementary School, Clear Springs Elementary School and Driscoll Middle School by the 202526 school year. Students will be relocated to nearby schools. The closures will save $5 million a year, which NEISD says will offset a $39 million deficit in its budget created by employee pay raises. NEISD superintendent Sean Maika also cites expensive operation costs as another reason behind the closures, with all three schools operating under 50% capacity and exceeding the district average in cost per student. “It’s incremental little changes that happen,” Maika said. “One day, you wake up, and this incremental change has become a giant change.” NEISD has seen a sharp decline in enrollment over the past decade, losing 12,000 students since the 2014-15 school year — equivalent to 17% of its student population. Declining enrollment is one of many problems school districts in Texas face as they grapple with declining birth rates, inflation and insufficient state funding. Texas ranks No. 41 nationwide in perpupil spending, and the last major boost in funding happened in 2019 through House Bill 3, from which NEISD received $27 million. For Maika, school districts can
no longer rely on lawmakers for financial support. “Hope isn’t a strategy,” Maika said. “There is this belief that a windfall of money is potentially headed to education. I just don’t believe that.” The closure of the three schools comes during a time of uncertainty for traditional public schooling in Texas. Senate Bill 2 — which will give parents $10,000 per year for every student attending an accredited private school — was passed in the Texas Senate days prior to the NEISD board meeting. It now awaits voting in the Texas House of Representatives. President Donald Trump has also urged the closing of the Department of Education, a key distributor in public school funding. NEISD Community Advocates, a group pushing back against the closures, asked the board to delay the vote for a year to conduct an audit assessing the long-term effects of the closures. “School closures rarely deliver on their promises. They don’t save money, and they negatively impact student outcomes,” co-founder of the advocacy group, Nikki Shaheed said. Opposition also came from the American Federation of Teachers, who echoed a delay in the vote and pointed out the imminency of the closures. “We know that NEISD provides a much better education than charter schools. There’s no comparison,” Tom Cummins, president of the local AFT, said. “But that fact has to be communicated to the students and families who have left NEISD.” As another school district in San Antonio moves forward with closures, other districts across Texas are tasked with proving their value in an evolving public education system. Diego Cisneros/The Paisano
Front sign for Driscoll Middle School, one of the schools slated for closure.