The La Joya school district reportedly closed out the first semester with stronger performance rates in reading and math compared to the beginning of the school year, bringing LJISD one step closer to its five-year goal. Last year, the district outlined its commitment to increasing the percentage of students attending A and B-rated campuses to…

La Joya ISD faces a possible $20 million price tag on replacement school buses due to questionable decisions from previous administrations. Chief of Operations & Infrastructure S.B. Pierson stated that La Joya ISD must replace about 80% of its aging bus fleet within the next three to five years. With 168 buses in-house and $150,000…

Financial auditors from Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) reported a decrease in La Joya ISD’s overages from the 2023-24 fiscal year to the 2024-25 fiscal year, indicating an improvement in financial practices.   In May, A&M disclosed that La Joya ISD overpaid its vendors after examining the district’s financial systems for 2023 and 2024 during Phase I…

La Joya ISD parents expressed concerns about overcrowded classrooms after the district proposed closing five schools. However, an audit revealed LJISD has a recent history of a below-average student-to-teacher ratio. Benavides, Peña and Leo elementaries, and Ann Richards and JD Salinas middle schools could close next year if the board of managers approves administration’s proposal…

Sharyland ISD plans to restructure its current early college high school program into a district-wide College and Career Readiness School Model (CCRSM). At the Nov. 17 school board meeting, the SISD administration unveiled its strategy to implement two CCRSM programs in both its comprehensive high schools — Early College High School (ECHS) and Pathways in…

After gathering community input for two and a half months, the Sharyland ISD facility planning committee recommended a $250 million bond for the May 2026 election to fund upgrades on all campuses. Hundreds of Sharyland community members attended a series of facility planning meetings to provide input on the district’s long-term needs. Attendees had in-depth…

The La Joya school district will spend the next nine months developing a more efficient transportation system to better support student academic outcomes. LJISD hasn’t updated its bus routing system in about 20 years. But Chief of Operations & Infrastructure S.B. Pierson said these system upgrades should occur every two to three years to accommodate…

The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1, and food assistance is about to expire, but Sharyland ISD is doing what it can to support its students and families. SISD reminded families to update their annual income surveys if they’re experiencing temporary employment or income changes because of the shutdown. The income survey…

Sharyland ISD has had a slow but steady increase in membership since the 2025-2026 school year began, but the superintendent admitted that year-to-date enrollment is still lower than the district expected. Administration presented its regular enrollment and attendance report to the board of trustees at the Oct. 20 school board meeting. Although SISD began the…

An independent evaluation of Sharyland ISD’s special education program revealed inconsistencies and contradictory practices among its campuses, highlighting a need for district-wide alignment. Stetson & Associates Inc. conducted their assessment in spring 2025 through parent and staff interviews, surveys, classroom observations, focus groups and data review. The consulting firm determined that Sharyland ISD needs to…