La Joya Independent School District is facing a staffing shortage for their special education program.

The district says they don't have enough employees for their students.

In total, the district is working to fill 17 positions, including diagnosticians, therapists and case managers.

They're now outsourcing to get the help they need. The district recently approved more than $1 million in contracts to bring in that supplemental staff.

"We have a high number of students with IEPs. The state average is around 14 percent, we're a little over 17 percent. So with the need, we know we need staffing and so that would be one area that we begin to address. We also are ensuring continuity of services and quality services for our students," La Joya ISD Deputy Chief of Academic Advancement and School Performance Anna Marie Candelario said.

The district plans to use federal funding to pay for the contracts. They expect their new hires to start as early as next week.