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La Joya ISD seeks longer transfer approvals after 9,224 requests; 2,761 approved, 5,939 invalid
Summary
District leaders reported 9,224 transfer requests in the recent window and proposed a policy change so approved transfers remain valid for an entire school level (elementary, middle, high) if students remain in good standing; officials approved 2,761 transfers, denied 524 and flagged 5,939 as invalid during the review.
La Joya ISD administrators told the board April 8 that the district received 9,224 transfer requests in the recent application window and is asking the board to revise the transfer policy so an approved transfer continues for the student's school level (elementary, middle or high) rather than requiring annual reapplication.
Miss Kendallario presented the data: of 9,224 requests the district approved 2,761, denied 524 and categorized 5,939 as invalid applications (examples include families who mistakenly applied for their home-zone school or the wrong grade). Officials said many invalid applications reflected confusion during the window and that some families applied to specialty campuses (e.g., Jimmy Carter early-college) without following the separate lottery process.
Dr. Little explained the proposed policy change: once a transfer application is approved the approval would continue through the school level so long as the student continues to meet policy criteria (academic standing, attendance and behavior). The aim is to reduce paperwork burdens on families, improve campus planning for staffing and scheduling and avoid asking families to reapply year after year for the same placement. The district also said it prioritized transfers tied to school-action decisions and feeder-pattern alignment to avoid concentrating students at select campuses.
Board members asked follow-up questions about the 145 students who returned to La Joya this cycle and about origin districts; Kendallario said the district can report where returning students came from and will include additional details in an impact report. Officials cautioned that approvals are subject to space limitations, UIL eligibility rules and the district's verification of residency and academic/behavioral criteria.
The proposal to change the duration of approvals was presented for board consideration; the transcript records the presentation and Q&A but does not show a final vote on this specific policy change at the meeting.
