La Joya ISD outlines transportation overhaul after audit, aims for August rollout
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Summary
District leaders described a multi-month overhaul of routing, fleet maintenance and safety systems after internal and external audits found outdated routes, no preventive maintenance schedule and high per-student costs. The plan includes new routing software, real-time parent tracking and community town halls ahead of an August 2026 rollout.
La Joya ISD officials on Feb. 20 laid out a multi-step plan to modernize the district's transportation operation after internal and third-party audits highlighted persistent inefficiencies and safety gaps.
SB Pearson, who led the presentation, told the board that routes had not been systematically adjusted in about 20 years, the fleet lacked preventive maintenance and geocoding, and the district has been providing door-to-door pickups that are locally funded and financially unsustainable. "Our routes have not been adjusted to only account for those kids that we're picking up," Pearson said, describing a Palm View High School snapshot showing seven buses with a combined capacity of 539 when only about 130 students ride in that zone.
The presentation identified seven audit buckets, including administration and operations, training, routing and scheduling, fleet maintenance, facilities and institutional controls. Pearson said those deficiencies contributed to what he described as "waste, fraud, corruption, and abuse" built into past practices and noted unfunded extracurricular rideshares and staff shuttles as drivers of overtime and fuel costs.
District staff proposed a phased response: purchase and deploy routing and fleet-management software, create a capital replacement schedule, implement training and institutional-control tools, and pilot new stop configurations. Two parent-facing tools were named: InfoFinder (web-based) to let families enter address and student ID to see assigned bus and stop times, and Stopfinder (a mobile app) to provide real-time on/off tracking tied to student ID badge scanning. Pearson said InfoFinder will be ready for the district web page and Stopfinder requires additional student ID badge policy work and will roll out with a manual process initially.
Pearson gave several financial data points to justify the changes: the district's transportation expense per pupil was reported at $458 in regional comparisons; year-to-date fuel spending was $601,000 with maintenance at $703,000 and overtime at about $573,000. The department reported it currently has routes covered except for two or three open routes but lacks pool drivers to cover extracurricular events without overtime.
Board members pressed for details about how satellite pickup points would be selected and emphasized safety. Pearson said the district's transponder partner and transportation leaders are designing stops with equitable walk-to-stop ratios, then field-testing them with drivers and parents. The district plans community touchpoints in March and April, pilots in summer school, training in June-July, and a full implementation aimed for August 2026.
The presentation made clear the initiative is operational (no vote required at this meeting) and that the superintendent will return to the board with final recommendations after community feedback and route-building in late April or early May.