La Joya ISD proposes bus-route overhaul, new tracking apps to speed arrivals and cut costs

SB Pearson, chief operations officer for LA JOYA ISD, told parents the district will redesign its 20‑year‑old bus network and roll out new tracking and routing tools in an effort to improve safety, reduce late arrivals and rein in rising transportation costs.

"We have to change in order to create something that's reliable, that's more safe for our kids," Pearson said at a community briefing. He and district transportation staff framed the project as a response to a multi‑year pattern of operational cuts, declining enrollment and growing overtime and fuel bills.

Transportation Director Joe Alanise said the district currently operates about 160 buses with roughly 137 drivers assigned to routes and has not significantly updated routing in two decades. Staff presented three cost figures as part of the case for change: year‑to‑date fuel costs of about $680,000 (projected to exceed $1 million by fiscal…