In a unanimous vote, the EPISD board of trustees passed a motion to challenge a state agency's recent decision to revoke its power.

That announcement was made early Wednesday morning after a long closed door meeting during executive session at EPISD headquarters.

The school board of trustees said it feels the Texas Education Agency's decision to appoint a board of managers undermines the people's voting rights.

"I feel what commissioner Williams has done, he's not taken in to account who we are in El Paso," said board member Rocio Benedicto.

"We've done everything the commissioner has asked," said EPISD Vice President Russell Wiggs, "When we asked the commissioner why he thinks we don't have the confidence of the community he can only point to the newspaper."

As KFOX14 first reported, Commissioner Michael Williams, of the Texas Education Agency, announced the decision last Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Justice still needs to approve it.

I think they have that right, the system is in place for them to do that, so there's not a problem with that," said Conservator Judy Castlebery.

"Six months for the people to speak and it was wiped away in one day, with a pen by one person," said board member Joel Barrios.

Some of the current EPISD board members are up for re-election this May, they say none of that matters now.

"This community deserves the right to make the decision," said board President Estela Castanon Williams

The EPISD board has until this Sunday to submit its request to the U.S. Department of Justice for a formal review.