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La Joya ISD superintendent outlines five district priorities, flags parent engagement as off track
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Sorensen updated the board on five district priorities, saying most areas show progress but parent engagement and some implementation tasks remain off track; she described specific actions and timelines for audits and surveys.
Superintendent Dr. A. Sorensen told the La Joya Independent School District Board of Trustees on Feb. 26 that the district is advancing five strategic priorities but that some items require intensified attention, especially parent engagement and certain implementation steps.
Sorensen opened her district-priority update by saying the priorities "must live and breathe on our campuses" and that she and the executive cabinet review progress about every six weeks. She said items labeled "on track" are expected to be implemented by the end of the school year, "slightly off track" require superintendent or division attention, and "off track" need immediate intervention.
The superintendent said priority 1 (customer service) is largely on track for staff training but noted continued work to create consistent central-office communications. Priority 2 (trust and transparency) showed mixed results: the district has a communications plan and town-hall outreach, but Sorensen called the districtwide parent engagement plan "off track," citing low attendance at engagement sessions and unclear roles for parent-educator positions. On priority 3 (high-quality instruction), she said all campuses have access to new high-quality instructional materials but that work remains on fidelity and dual-language implementation. Priority 4 (excellence in leadership) includes new leadership pipeline programs; priority 5 (integrity and accountability) includes an ongoing financial audit and a special-education audit with findings expected in late March to early April.
Board members asked for clarification about parent engagement. Board member Carlos Margo asked what could be done to restore parent participation; Sorensen said the district must "meet our parents where they are" and implement the parent engagement plan as written, including more community-based events and clearer campus responsibilities.
Sorensen listed several near-term outreach events (elementary, middle and high school parent meetings in March) and said the district will continue town halls through April and a community-design day in early May to inform the strategic plan for 2025–26.
She also told the board that her office will administer a districtwide culture and climate survey at the end of the year and that certain divisions (operations and infrastructure) will run biannual employee-satisfaction surveys.
The update included direct timelines for audits: a financial audit led by the business office with results expected by April and a special-education audit with findings to be shared publicly in late March or early April, followed by an implementation plan for 2025–26.
Sorensen closed by urging the public to participate in upcoming meetings and by praising career and technical education staff ahead of CTE Awareness Month.
