La Joya ISD board approves closure of Zapata Elementary, restarts Garza and Seguin under ACE turnaround

La Joya ISD trustees voted to approve a program change that would close Zapata Elementary and relaunch Garza and Seguin elementary schools under the Accelerated Campus Excellence (ACE) turnaround model. The board approved the action by voice vote near the end of the meeting; the motion carried.

The board and district leaders said the recommendation responds to sustained low student performance at the three campuses and to long‑term enrollment declines that have left buildings underused. “We are recommending still that we would close Zapata, and we would work with those families to move them to Garza or Seguin,” Dr. Little said during the presentation to the board.

Nut graf: District officials said the ACE restart pairs new leadership and teaching teams, extended instructional time and added student supports with facility and enrollment data that, they argued, make a three‑campus configuration unsustainable. Trustees and administrators framed the change as a turnaround strategy intended to move students out of D/F accountability ratings and toward A/B performance.

District case and actions - Performance: District presenters told trustees Garza, Seguin and…