La Joya trustees considering letting Region One operate some schools

La Joya ISD trustees are considering allowing Region One Education Service Center to operate four elementary schools through a partnership aimed at improving academics.

According to a board agenda packet, the schools being considered are Rosendo Benavides, Leo J. Leo, Corina Pena, and Juan Seguin elementaries.

Region One is the southernmost branch of a state-wide system of service centers that aim to improve student performance and school district operations.

Daniel King, Region One’s executive director, told trustees at a meeting last week that if they approve the partnership, his organization will aim to improve academic results at the schools, likely through a three-to-five-year contract.

“The way this would work, it would be through a performance management contract,” he said. “And so, in a performance management contract, there would be goals that the district would set through discussions with the service center, and the service center would be accountable for working with those campuses to achieve those goals. The service center would take the responsibility for all the day-to-day operations of that campus in terms of instruction, in terms of instructing students.”

The mechanics of how exactly that partnership would work on the ground aren’t particularly clear. Neither the district nor Region One could shed much light on how the operation would work in practice by press time.

King did say that operations like finance, transportation and food services would be unimpacted.

“Now, what does it mean?” he said. “The principal’s still there, the teachers are there. It means that somebody from Region One would become the supervisor for those campuses and work deeply on the curriculum and instruction.”

Although similar partnerships exist in the state, King said, they usually through non-profits or charter operators. A service center hasn’t done one before.

King described the endeavor as unique and as part of a push at Region One to provide local districts with hands-on, bespoke tools to boost and bolster academic success in the region.

Region One is already providing academic support at 14 La Joya ISD campuses, he said.

That involvement is no secret.

The district has boasted of King and Region One’s involvement at the district for months, along with other initiatives focused on student success and operational efficiency that La Joya ISD has particularly highlighted as the Texas Education Agency considers intervening at the district with a board of managers.

The final decision on intervention lies in the hands of TEA Commissioner Mike Morath and could happen this month.

King described Morath as an enthusiastic supporter of the idea behind the partnership.

“He got pretty excited. He said, ‘You know Dr. King, I’ve always thought service centers should do something like this. And get in there, roll up their sleeves, and get in the game right with the districts and take some ownership,’” King said. “And he said, ‘So if you’ve got a district that’s willing to do that,’ he said, ‘I’d love to see it.’”

Superintendent Heriberto “Beto” Gonzalez said the proposal could also benefit the district financially.

Trustees haven’t yet voted on the partnership, although they could at the board’s next meeting. Board President Alex Cantu described himself as a supporter.

“Our motto here at La Joya ISD is student focused, data driven and now — what we want — is results oriented. And I think with this partnership, we’re gonna get to where we need to be as a district and I know that our students will benefit from this,” he said.

Last year, state accountability ratings assigned Benavides, Leo, and Pena elementaries B ratings, and Seguin a C rating.

Benavides and Leo have frequently been in the news this year. The board backed off on a plan to close them last semester due to flagging enrollment after significant criticism from the community, although the district could move to close them again this year if enrollment fails to improve.

Enrollment is so far failing to improve.

La Joya American Federation of Teachers President Brenda Lee Salinas said Tuesday that she wasn’t aware of which campuses the district is considering for the partnership.

She called for communication if the board moves ahead with the partnership.

“We would encourage district leadership to be transparent during this process,” Salinas said. “I think the district deserves to know which are the four campuses they’re considering. It should not be a surprise to the community.”