La Joya ISD board approves plan to close four campuses, temporarily repurpose JD Salinas

La Joya Independent School District trustees on Jan. 23 approved administration recommendations to permanently close four campuses before the 2026–27 school year and to temporarily close and redesign JD Salinas Middle School for reopening as a districtwide career academy in 2027–28.

The board’s action followed a presentation from Dr. Little, the district’s executive presenting officer, who said the recommendations are driven by three priorities: raising academic quality, responding to a 27% enrollment decline over the last decade (about 8,000 fewer students), and improving financial sustainability. Dr. Little said the set of school actions could create an estimated $27,000,000 in budgetary room to reinvest in higher-rated campuses and districtwide programs.

Under the approved plan, Benavides Elementary students would be reassigned to Sam Fordyce Elementary. Pena Elementary students would be split between Clinton and Gonzales elementaries along a revised boundary line; Leo Elementary students would largely be reassigned to Flores Elementary with a small number assigned to IB Reina based on residence; and Ann Richards Middle School students would be split between Memorial and Garcia middle schools. JD Salinas Middle School would close for one year to allow planning and would reopen as a career academy with a districtwide attendance zone.

Dr. Little said the district conducted 20 engagement sessions involving more than 900 attendees and posted details online; updated capacity analyses and a data “scrub” showed the receiving campuses can accommodate the reassigned students. He also reminded the public that transfer students are defaulted back to their home campus and must apply during the transfer window (opened Jan. 12 and closing Feb. 6) if they wish to remain elsewhere; the district will prioritize families affected by the closures in that process but will not provide transportation for transfer students. Neighborhood students reassigned by boundary change will be eligible for district transportation if they meet bus-eligibility rules.

On special education, Dr. Little told the board that Individualized Education Program (IEP) services will remain in force regardless of campus changes and that students in self-contained settings will receive individualized transition supports, including school visits and staff touchpoints.

Dr. Little also explained staffing implications: the recommendation constitutes pure school closures and will proceed through the district’s program-change process, which triggers nonrenewal of affected campus staff positions and an application process for positions in the receiving schools. The district said the intent of the staffing process is to select and retain the highest-quality educators for the reassigned campuses.

During public comment, students and staff from affected campuses urged the board to reconsider or delay closures. Bernaliz Salinas, identified in the record as a local educators’ association president, said about 80 members would be affected and asked for clarity, fairness and consistent support for employees who wish to remain in the district.

After returning from closed session the board took the final vote. Board member S4 moved to approve the administration’s recommendation; S6 seconded. The chair called for a voice vote; members responded “aye” and the motion carried. The board directed staff to return to the next meeting (Feb. 11) with the final program-change approval and implementation steps.

Next steps outlined by the administration include: completing program-change paperwork, informing affected families and staff, finalizing boundary maps and bus eligibility calculations, and conducting individualized transition planning for students with special needs. The district’s presentation materials and boundary maps remain posted on the district website for families seeking details.

(Reporting note: quotes and attributions in this story are taken from the Jan. 23 La Joya ISD board meeting transcript and public comments.)