Edcouch-Elsa ISD board approves consolidation of PFC David Ivaro Fine Arts Academy into Carlos F. Trujan Junior High

EDCOUCH-ELSA ISD, Texas — The Edcouch-Elsa ISD Board of Trustees approved a plan on March 12 to consolidate sixth-grade students from PFC David Ivaro Fine Arts Academy into Carlos F. Trujan Junior High for the 2025–26 school year.

Superintendent Dr. Benavides told the board the district has 266 sixth graders who would join the junior-high campus; combining sixth, seventh and eighth graders would create an enrollment of roughly 800 students at Trujan, a campus he described as built for about 1,000 students. "No teacher would lose their job," Dr. Benavides said; "the teachers would move with the students, and the students would be separated in a separate hallway." He added the primary driver of the consolidation is cost savings.

Board discussion reviewed community outreach and operational issues. Trustees said district staff held meetings with parents at affected campuses and that concerns raised included cafeteria mixing, safety, and drop-off and pick-up logistics. District staff said preliminary implementation planning has begun with child nutrition, transportation and security staff and that specific recommendations for safety and logistics would return to the board.

Trustees also raised questions about what would happen to the David Ivaro campus if it is not used for instruction. One trustee discussed the practice of "mothballing" a facility — preserving utilities and equipment at a minimum level while deciding whether to repurpose or rent a building. District staff said no final decisions about facility use or disposition would be made until the board's approval was secured and further analysis completed.

On the financials, the superintendent’s presentation included a larger estimate of potential savings in initial materials; however, later in the meeting staff clarified the district’s expected recurring savings directly attributable to the consolidation are approximately $500,000 per year. Trustees discussed the tradeoffs between short-term savings and ongoing building maintenance costs.

The motion to approve consolidation was made by Mister Torres and seconded by Doctor Ochoa. Two trustees cast dissenting votes — Mister Lozano and Miss Pena — and the motion carried.

Trustees said the district is pursuing a hiring freeze and has delayed filling some positions to accommodate staff movement from the sixth-grade campus, and asserted a goal of avoiding layoffs. The board also discussed potential future uses for the facility, including renting space to generate revenue, but no commitments were made.

Provenance: board discussion and the vote on the consolidation appear in the meeting transcript beginning with the item introduction and continuing through the recorded vote and immediate questions about savings and implementation.