La Joya Independent School District says the new school year marks a fresh start for them.

On Wednesday, the district announced a new five-year plan that puts students and teachers first.

The plan is called Achieving Excellence Together 2030 and centers on five priorities. They are excellence in leadership, empowering their graduates, having thriving students, building strong community partnership and creating financial stability.

La Joya ISD Superintendent Marcey Sorensen says the work starts in every classroom by having strong leaders at each of their schools.

"We know that schools don't thrive without great principals. Great principals create great schools. Great schools produce incredible student outcomes. We also need teachers who are then supported by those principals and supported by the central office to do their work of bringing magic alive in the classroom," Sorensen said.

The district is currently working to expand their options for early college high schools and career readiness programs. They are also investing in mental health support by hiring behavioral specialists and family outreach teams.

The plan also emphasizes on being more transparent with the community.

Leaders are working on balancing their budget and giving their staff pay raises. They want to put every dollar towards students and teachers.

The district's main goal is to have 90 percent of their students in A and B rated campuses by the year 2030. 

Accountability ratings are released by the texas education agency every year. They are based on things like student achievement, school progress and graduation rates.