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 Zapata had earned D or F verified ratings and showed multi‑year declines. Officials said available assessment data indicated more than half of students at those campuses were not meeting grade‑level standards in reading and math. - Enrollment and facilities: Administrators said the three elementary buildings are underutilized; closing Zapata would still leave room for roughly 138 additional students across Garza and Seguin. The district reported Zapata would require about $7 million in facility repairs—roughly double the combined needs for Garza and Seguin—while operating at around 60% capacity. - Program model: ACE is a state‑tested turnaround model that combines leadership changes, high‑quality instructional materials, extended school days and additional social‑emotional and mental‑health supports. Officials said ACE campuses typically provide an additional hour in the school day and targeted enrichment such as robotics or coding. Chief Miller described programmatic staffing rules: “All positions will be filled with an application process. We will not be placing people at these campuses,” he said, describing a competitive selection and lesson‑demonstration hiring process. - Staffing and costs: The district plans competitive stipends to attract staff to ACE campuses (examples offered included a $15,000 stipend for principals, $10,000 for teachers and other site‑based stipends), expanded professional development, and extended‑day compensation. Administrators said the restart will require increased per‑student spending at ACE campuses and is not a cost‑cutting move. “This will cost us more money,” Dr. Little said during the presentation.

Community response and transition planning District staff described extensive community engagement—bilingual meetings, a bilingual informational website and three community meetings focused on the affected campuses. Staff and trustees acknowledged strong emotions and concerns from families, including fears about longer days, transportation, retaining community identity, and potential increases in class size. Administrators said they would preserve the district’s method for allocating teacher positions and would provide transportation options and transfer assistance.

Officials pledged supports for affected employees, including four staffing pathways (ACE application, priority transfer window/job fair, regular transfer window/job fair, and open staffing season) plus office hours, resume help and Q&A sessions. Administrators said classroom allocations would not automatically increase class sizes and that empty classrooms in the receiving schools would be used before class sizes change.

Implementation steps and next actions Trustees approved the program change, giving district staff permission to start the programmatic change process: post positions, begin application and interview cycles, and schedule the formal list of program change positions to return to the board at a later date (district staff said that list would come to the board on April 2). If fully implemented, the restart would begin next school year under a District‑initiated program change (DFFB) and include targeted outreach to families and staff.

Ending: District leaders said they will continue engagement with families and staff through spring planning sessions to finalize transportation routes, classroom assignments and enrichment offerings. Board President Alvarez thanked presenters and emphasized continued dialogue as the district begins implementation.