District staff presented a formal recommendation for K–8 reading instructional materials after a multi-month review and stakeholder engagement. The recommendation: adopt Texas Bluebonnet Learning (K–5) in English and Spanish and use Texas Amplify for middle school (grades 6–8) while awaiting a Bluebonnet middle-school suite from the state.

Miss Lozano described the selection process: La Joya ISD participated in the Strong Foundations Planning Grant work, formed a literacy framework committee and engaged principals, teachers and parents in material showcases beginning in February. Staff said current elementary materials are not on the state’s approved instructional materials list (the instructional materials review process, IMRP), creating a need to select a state‑vetted curriculum rooted in the science of reading.

Staff presented stakeholder feedback numbers: they reported 100% of campus leadership recommended Bluebonnet for K–5; more than three-quarters of educators preferred Bluebonnet; and parents/community feedback favored Bluebonnet at 89% in the district showcases. Staff also displayed counts of lessons referencing religious texts across grade-level units and explained the family notification and opt‑out process: families will receive advance notice when a unit includes religious text, and a family may submit an opt‑out request; the school will provide alternate instruction so the student does not miss the covered standard.

Miss Lozano clarified curricular details presented earlier in community sessions: kinder shows 107 lessons with 4 lessons referencing religious text; first grade 102 lessons with 1 referencing religious text; third grade 45 lessons with 1 referencing religious text; fourth grade 35 lessons with 1 referencing religious text; fifth grade 41 lessons with 2 referencing religious text. (Staff language for second grade in the presentation was recorded as “a 15 lessons with 3 4 lessons within 3 distinct units”; staff indicated those counts in the slide presentation.)

Staff emphasized that parents and teachers had multiple opportunities to review materials, that Bluebonnet materials are accessible online for families once ordered, and that the formal TEA (TEEX) certification step on the agenda is part of the process required to access Strong Foundations grant funding and to proceed with ordering.

Board members asked clarifying questions about the rationale for Bluebonnet vs. Amplify, the visibility of materials for families, and how opt‑out lessons would be handled; board members who reviewed the materials reported attending showcases and expressed support for the transparency and the opt‑out process. The board was asked later in the agenda to approve the TEEX certification step as part of the adoption process.