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La Joya ISD details revamped summer programs: shorter days, STEAM themes, bilingual options at 10 sites
Summary
District leaders described a redesigned summer program that emphasizes a 'camp' feel, daily STEAM themes, shorter hours (8:00–12:30), meals, bilingual pre-K/K at 10 sites with longer-day options, and off-campus partnerships with UTRGV and STC with district transportation provided for zoned students and chaperones for some trips.
La Joya ISD presented a detailed plan for expanded summer academic and enrichment programming at its Feb. 26 board meeting, emphasizing a shorter daily schedule, thematic STEAM activities and extended bilingual options at selected campuses.
"We want students to think every day that they're coming to La Joya ISD STEAM summer camp," said Dr. Manuel Little, the district's chief academic officer, describing a program anchored in the district's additional 20 calendar days. Little said the district intentionally shortened core hours to create a camp-like experience and help families by reducing the length of the school day.
The core Elementary ATSI (summer) program will run roughly 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and include breakfast and lunch; 10 campuses will offer longer-day options (to approximately 2:30 p.m.) that pair bilingual pre-K and kindergarten services with an after-school provider called ACE. Little said the bilingual sites were chosen in part because statutory requirements for emergent bilingual services must meet at least 120 hours of instruction during the summer, a requirement he cited in the presentation.
Middle school offerings include remediation and enrichment: core remediation for students below grade level, English language enrichment for emergent bilingual students, STEM camps for sixth- and seventh-graders, and a TextPrep partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Little said some enrichment programs that rely on external partners (for example, UTRGV) have enrollment caps set by those partners, while the core ATSI elementary program has no cap and is open to all students.
High school summer options will focus on end-of-course support for students needing credit recovery, early college "bridge" programs for incoming freshmen, a revamped TSI (college readiness) camp and dual-credit opportunities through South Texas College (STC) or UTRGV. The district will provide transportation for students who must travel to STC or UTRGV for summer coursework and will supply chaperones for TextPrep participants, Little said.
Superintendent Sorensen and other cabinet members emphasized the cross-functional nature of the work: human capital for staffing, operations for facilities, transportation and child nutrition to support meals, and communications to distribute registration materials. Flyers and registration information will be available to families the day after the meeting and will be discussed during Texas Public School Week open houses the following week, officials said.
Board members asked about transportation rules for families that want the longer-day option at the 10 bilingual/ACE sites; staff said district transportation is provided only for students zoned to those campuses, while families choosing to transfer to a longer site would be responsible for transport unless they are eligible under standard transfer procedures.
Little said special education, dyslexia and Extended School Year services will continue through summer programs so students can receive necessary supports without interruption.
"It truly is a cross functional effort," Sorensen said, thanking academics, operations, communications and finance for their roles in building the summer offerings.
