EDUCATION BRIEFS
News from Katy ISD
NUMBER TO KNOW Currently, Katy ISD has about 200 teacher vacancies. The district expects 302 more by the 2023-24 school year with two elementary schools opening fall 2023. 502
Committee pitches $840M bond to meet growth needs
PLANNING FOR GROWTH Katy ISD’s Community Bond Advisory Committee reviewed enrollment projections at the district’s first bond meeting March 29.
BY ASIA ARMOUR
KATY ISD A potential bond package totaling $840.6 million was finalized at the Katy ISD Community Bond Advisory Committee meeting April 18. It includes four new schools, renovations to old campuses, a 1:1 student-to-device tech- nology plan and security upgrades. At the first meeting March 29, Kris Pool, director of plan- ning for demographic firm Population and Survey Analysts, presented data showing most of the growth is concentrated in KISD’s northwest quadrant, where many master-planned communities are being developed. “Moderate growth scenarios project a student enrollment of over 100,000 students by 2027 and nearly 10,000 more by 2032,” Pool said in a March 29 news release. Committee members also reviewed and discussed the district’s long-range facilities plan—which has served as a guiding document through the last nine bonds the Katy com- munity has passed since 1994. The plan documents every facility in the district, along with life expectancies of the building’s mechanical and plumbing systems and roofs. “Addressing these campus needs and updating systems when needed is a priority in order to maintain building
QUOTE OF NOTE
members attended the district’s first bond committee meeting March 29
140
HIGHLIGHTS KATY ISD In a complete overhaul of its elementary literacy framework, Katy ISD purchased $5.63 million in all new instructional materials from education and learning technology company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The district will collect all old materials by the end of the 2022- 23 school year and implement ongoing training for educators in the areas of reading development and instruction strategies. An approved list of phonics materials for kindergarten through third grade students was released by the Texas Education Agency on March 30 and will further inform the development of the district’s elementary literacy framework. “ADDRESSING THESE CAMPUS NEEDS AND UPDATING SYSTEMS WHEN NEEDED IS A PRIORITY IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN BUILDING INTEGRITY.” LISA KASSMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR FACILITIES, PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION FOR KATY ISD Katy ISD board of trustees meets May 15 at 6301 S. Stadium Lane, Katy. Meetings are livestreamed at www.katyisd.org. MEETINGS WE COVER
students expected to be enrolled by 2032
100K+
new single-family homes within the district over the next 10 years
27,681
of the total new housing projections in that time will be single-family
60%
SOURCES: KATY ISD, POPULATION AND SURVEY ANALYSTS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
integrity,” said Lisa Kassman, executive director for facili- ties, planning and construction. The committee will present its recommendation to the board in May.
Future incentives could earn teachers $3K-$32K more per year
TIERED FUNDS
BY ASIA ARMOUR
system for its eligible teachers, Kreuz said. Eligible teachers include instructors who teach fourth through eighth grade reading and math; Algebra I and English I and II teach- ers; and life skills teachers. Special education resource instructors and in-class support teachers who teach these disciplines will also be included in the data capture. The initiative also aims to recruit and retain teachers due to a teacher shortage, Chief Human Resources Officer Brian Schuss said in an email. He said the district expects 302 vacancies next school year.
KATY ISD A subset of Katy ISD teachers could receive an extra $3,000 to $32,000 per year by the 2024-25 school year if the district’s application to join the statewide Teacher Incentive Allotment program is approved. The optional TIA program was established to secure six-figure salaries for the top 33% of teachers in the state, consultant Tammy Kreuz said at a March 27 board meeting. To receive the highest allotments in the three-tiered incentive, KISD must establish a local designation
If Katy ISD is approved for the teacher allotment system, eligible teachers would be split into three tiers through a scoring system based on student growth and teacher observation. Additional compensation per year
Recognized teachers
+$3K-$9K
Exemplary teachers
+$6K-$18K
Master teachers
+$12K-$32K
SOURCE: KATY ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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4747 FM 1463, Suite 1000 Katy, TX 77494 713.852.6700 TexasBayCU.org
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KATY EDITION • APRIL 2023
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