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.…
Read More‘Life changing’ stipend program grows at La Joya ISD
Next month, the state will award eligible La Joya ISD teachers with more than $3.1 million through the Teacher Incentive Allotment program, paving the way for more in the district to earn the stipend in the coming years. Texas created the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) to help teachers earn a higher salary and increase retention.…
Read MoreSharyland approves ‘monumental’ compensation plan
The Sharyland Board of Trustees amended a previously approved compensation plan in favor of a more robust option that Superintendent Dr. Elaine Howard said was “monumental.” For the 2025-26 school year, Sharyland ISD employees will get the originally approved 2% pay increase along with the state funds from House Bill 2. And, depending on the…
Read MoreLa Joya ISD — a look at the first year under state intervention
La Joya ISD just completed its first school year under Texas Education Agency intervention, and state-appointed Superintendent Dr. Marcey Sorensen said it’s been a year of tough decisions for long-term district success. Sorensen and the state-appointed board of managers (replacements for the elected board of trustees) came into the district in February 2024 and spent…
Read MoreMission Collegiate ranked among top RGV STEM schools
Mission Collegiate High School landed on several “best of” lists, earning recognition as a high-performing STEM campus among schools in the Rio Grande Valley and Hidalgo County. Niche, a company that rates and reviews K-12 schools in the U.S., provides report cards of school districts and individual campuses at the end of every school year.…
Read MoreHomeschoolers denied access to Sharyland UIL program
The Texas Legislature passed a bill expanding access to UIL activities for homeschooled children, but Sharyland ISD opted out of it. Senate Bill 401 requires public schools with UIL programs to allow non-enrolled students to participate in UIL activities if they meet league eligibility requirements. But districts can adopt an opt-out policy. At the June…
Read MoreSharyland ISD to expand teacher incentive program
For the past two years, Sharyland ISD has been working to make its teachers eligible for state funds that would go toward their salaries. The district began the process by making 188 teachers eligible, but SISD plans to expand the program. The Texas government established the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) to help teachers earn more…
Read MoreLa Joya ISD leadership is Harvard-bound
Harvard University selected La Joya ISD to attend a prestigious summer program that helps district leaders improve public school management. The district’s executive cabinet will attend the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) in Boston, where faculty members from Harvard Business School, the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Kennedy School of Government will help…
Read MoreBalanced budgets and pay raises at La Joya ISD
La Joya ISD will go into the 2025-26 school year with a balanced budget and 4% raises for all employees — a feat that some might have deemed far-fetched a year ago. Last year, the district faced a $20 million-turned-$10.4 million deficit, and it was about to enter a third school year without across-the-board pay…
Read MoreLa Joya ISD budgets for 4% pay raises
All signs point toward La Joya ISD employees receiving a 4% pay raise, pending the board of managers’ approval. Chief of Business and Administrative Services Mirgitt Crespo presented the proposed 2025-2026 budget, which included a $1.5 million revenue surplus and a 4% raise for all LJISD employees. If the board approves the budget, it would…
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