La Joya ISD warns of multimillion-dollar shortfall, outlines staffing reorganization and new coaching roles

At its April 23 board meeting, La Joya ISD leaders presented a budget and staffing update that forecast a roughly $10.5 million gap tied to enrollment loss and recent state legislation and described a planned reallocation of staff roles toward instructional coaching, student supports and family engagement.

District finance director Mirzette Crespo and Superintendent Dr. Sorensen said campus enrollment is expected to fall and that state changes tied to this legislative session will not fully fund district needs. Crespo said the state’s reported $395-per-student boost would not cover operating expenses and explained the distribution the district has been given: about $237 per pupil in unrestricted funds for maintenance and operations and $118 per pupil (40 percent of the increase) specifically earmarked for employee pay, with roughly 75 percent of that pay money required to be spent on classroom teacher salaries and 25 percent on other staff.

The officials said that distribution constrains what the district can use for general operating costs and warned that estimated revenue shifts, combined with projected enrollment declines, would leave the district with a multi‑million‑dollar shortfall unless it tightens and prioritizes spending. Crespo presented a district-level scenario…