New leadership at La Joya ISD campuses
La Joya ISD announced several changes to its campus leadership ahead of the 2025-26 school year, and Superintendent Dr. Marcey Sorensen said more are on the way.
Administration unveiled 10 new principals at the June school board meeting.
- Guillermo Flores Elementary, Principal Dr. Dolores Araujo
- Lloyd M. Bentsen Elementary, Principal Julissa Garza
- Leo J. Leo Elementary, Principal Irene Fernandez
- Sam Fordyce Elementary, Principal Irma Ramirez
- Palmira Mendiola Elementary, Principal Maria Flores-Guerra
- Tabasco Elementary, Principal Vilma Brantley
- Ann Richards Middle School, Principal Mary Sepulveda
- Lorenzo De Zavala Middle School, Principal Sylvia Treviño-Sandoval
- La Joya High School, Principal Eduardo Flores
- Palmview High School, Principal Leann Alaniz-Herrera
Sorensen said about five more will join the cohort of new campus leaders before the upcoming school year. While most principals were promoted from within the district or made official after serving as interim, there may be a few fresh faces at La Joya ISD. The district will announce the remaining names at the July school board meeting.
Since the state takeover in February 2024, La Joya ISD has undergone phases of employee reductions to combat 13 years of overstaffing within the district. When asked if it was normal to have this amount of movement at the principal level from one year to the next, the superintendent explained that growing pains can occur with new leadership.
“I do think when you have a new superintendent, when there is a sense of change and new expectations, some people make the decision that those expectations may or may not be for them,” Sorensen said. “I do think that there are some people who do make the decision that they want to move on. And I think that there are people who have made the decision that they want to stay and they want to take on a new challenge.”
With so many vacancies at the principal level, through attrition or otherwise, Sorensen said many existing LJISD employees stepped up to the plate to take on new leadership positions. She used Mary Sepulveda, the new principal at Ann Richards Middle School, as an example.
“Mary Sepulveda has been at Escandon Elementary for 11 years and she just said, ‘I’ve been here 11 years, I feel like I’ve given Escandon all that I could give. I’d really like to try something else, and I’d really like to try a middle school,’” the superintendent explained. “And so when she heard that there were middle school opportunities in the district, she threw her hat in.”
Sorensen continued, explaining the chain reaction of one principal vacating their post for a new one.
“She’s gonna serve at Ann Richards and she’s gonna do an amazing job there, and it’s gonna leave us a vacancy at Escandon,” she said. “We’re really excited for her to actually go lead Ann Richards and we’ll be excited for our new leader at Escandon…So it’s that kind of ripple effect that goes throughout the district when people raise their hand and say, ‘I want to try something new.’”
For parents, students or staff hesitant about having a new person at the helm of their campus, the superintendent encouraged them to get acquainted with the new leader at open houses, back-to-school events and other community engagement meetings.
“I think one of the greatest things is that the majority of our principals are well-known folks within the community and well-known people throughout the district,” Sorensen said. “We may have a couple of new faces, I’m not certain yet. I have a couple of folks who are super excited to join the district…And with any leadership change, I think it’s just going to be a matter of getting to know them and getting to know their ways of working, how they lead and how they care for their children.”
