By now, most people have heard about the small, underperforming school district in the Valley that spent state money to build a $20 million water park.
But as it turns out, the story gets even worse.
According to Progress Times, La Joya ISD’s water park has also become a drain on its annual budget.
“During the 2017-2018 fiscal year, the district spent nearly $540,000 to operate the Sports and Learning Complex. Revenue totaled about $289,000, leaving the district with a nearly $250,000 loss.”
Frustratingly, that’s not all. In the same story, the Progress Times also reports that another of the district’s facilities is a money loser.
“The school district golf course, Howling Trails, also ran a roughly $302,000 deficit. Money from the general fund covered the losses.”
La Joya ISD isn’t the only school district wasting money hand-over-fist on things that don’t improve student achievement—but it is certainly one of the most visible. This is a remarkable example of school district waste and serves to punctuate the point that ISDs don’t have a revenue problem, they have a priority problem. And until that problem is solved, no amount of money will fix what ails public education.