Board to vote on $7M investments at La Joya ISD
Superintendent Dr. Marcey Sorensen requested board approval to dip into the district’s emergency fund for one-time capital investments totaling $7 million.
The investments include replacing 10 school buses ($2 million), baseball field upgrades ($3 million) and contingency needs ($2 million).
While most expenditures come from the district’s general fund, the investments would come from La Joya ISD’s unrestricted fund balance, which is typically considered a rainy-day fund used only in emergencies. However, the district can also use the funds for strategic funding priorities.
Per state law, all districts must have 60-75 days’ worth of operating expenditures in their fund balance, which is why it’s used as a last resort. Additionally, the LJISD board of managers created a policy requiring a minimum of three months of operational expenditures in the fund balance.
La Joya ISD’s unrestricted fund balance currently sits at $119.7 million. If the board approves the $7 million request, the fund would still be about $43 million above the district-required minimum.
According to Chief of Business, Finance & Administrative Services Mirgitt Crespo, LJISD’s fund balance is healthy, and Sorensen’s request is doable, but she stressed that it is a one-time deal.
“Why one time? Because we really want to make sure that the community and the board understand that we are clear that we cannot [tap into] the fund balance all the time,” Crespo explained. “But this is a one-time, long-term investment that is going to stay in the district for a long time.”
The proposed capital investments fall under the categories of student safety, facility modernization and operational priorities.
If the district can add 10 new yellow school buses to its fleet, it would alleviate some of the transportation department’s concerns about La Joya ISD’s aging bus fleet, which has been a financial stress point.
Sorensen didn’t go into detail about the specific baseball field upgrades, but she has repeatedly stated that athletics are a point of pride for the district and a worthy investment.
“I also want our community and families to know that we get zero dollars for athletics from the state. Zero, not one, not a dollar. So every dollar that we spend on athletics comes from our district budget,” the superintendent said during the budget workshop. “We know that our district values it, we know that our community values it and more importantly, we know how important it is to students. So we make these investments.”
Sorensen reiterated that all financial decisions have to align with the district’s strategic plan to maintain accountability.
“That is the way we enter into the space with integrity, and that is the way that we make sure that we keep our community and our students in the room with us,” she said.
The LJISD board of managers will vote on the $7 million investment request at the June 17 school board meeting. It will be a separate action item from the district’s regular budget proposal.
