EDUCATION BRIEFS
News from Katy ISD
QUOTE OF NOTE
Katy ISD upgrades security cameras for $1.61M KATY ISD A select group of Katy ISD elementary schools will get an upgraded security system by the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, o cials said. BY ASIA ARMOUR
HIGHLIGHTS KATY ISD At a May 15 meeting, three newly elected members o cially took their places on the Katy ISD board of trustees. Amy Thieme, Morgan Calhoun and Mary Ellen Cuzela were sworn into positions 3, 4 and 5, respectively, after votes were canvassed during the meeting. Further changes to the board included Victor Perez’s election to president of the district’s governing body in a 6-2 vote. Meanwhile, Thieme was elected vice president of the board in a 6-2 vote. Trustee Rebecca Fox, who has served on the board for 17 years, dissented on the vote to elect Perez and nominated the former vice president, Trustee Lance Redmon, who also dissented. KATY ISD The district announced it will o er free breakfasts and lunches at select locations from May 30-Aug. 3 as part of its summer meals program. Children and teens age 18 and younger must be present at one of the selected sites to receive a free meal with no identi cation required, and parents can purchase a meal. The sites serving breakfast and lunch can be viewed on the district website. Katy ISD board of trustees will meet June 26 at 6301 S. Stadium Lane, Katy. Meetings are livestreamed at www.katyisd.org. MEETINGS WE COVER “PARKING LOT SECURITY CAMERAS PROVIDE AN EXTRA SET OF EYES TO PROTECT STUDENTS, STAFF AND VISITORS AT OUR SCHOOLS.” HENRY GAW, KATY ISD CHIEF OF POLICE
Katy ISD to spend $2M on sta needs The details: This project is funded through the 2021 bond program. According to district documents, a 2019-20 safety and security audit highlighted the continued need to maintain and upgrade real-time secu- rity cameras internally and externally at KISD campuses. The parking lot security camera In a nutshell: At a May 15 meeting, KISD board members awarded a $1.61 million contract to Accutek Technologies Inc. for the installation of light pole security cameras in the parking lots of 33 elementary schools throughout the district.
Katy ISD began installing security cameras in July 2022.
PHOTOS COURTESY KATY ISD
placements are packaged with internal security upgrades, includ- ing additional cameras placed in multiple campuses. The application of parking lot security cameras is anticipated to help KISD campuses identify any external vulnerabilities, while the internal camera upgrades will improve “proactive situational awareness,” according to 2021 bond program documents. maintain a student-to-teacher ratio of 24-1 at the secondary level and 22-1 at the elementary school level, Schuss said. Following a needs assessment com- pleted by each district department, a list of 80 additional sta was initially proposed to human resources before cuts were made, Schuss said. A closer look: Two new positions that were created to support and sustain KISD’s literacy program are the instructional facilitator along with the reading and language arts coordinator, human resources sta said at the May 15 meeting.
Diving in deeper: A large increase in the student population and sta ng levels further validates the need for these security upgrades, district documents said. According to demographic rm Population and Survey Analysts data, the district gained 12,940 students between fall 2016 and fall 2021. KISD is projected to hit a total enrollment of 101,156 by the 2027-28 school year—a 7.6% increase from the 2022-23 school year.
SUPPORTING GROWTH Katy ISD is expected to add over 1,000 new students in the coming 2023-24 school year.
95,104 Projected enrollment for 2023-24 school year 22-1 Student-teacher ratio goal for elementary schools 24-1 Student-teacher ratio goal for secondary schools $1 million saved from sta vacancies
BY ASIA ARMOUR
KATY ISD The district will expend $2 million for additional sta ng needs in the 2023-24 school year. This measure was unanimously approved at a May 15 meeting after Chief Human Resources O cer Brian Schuss recommended lling about 60 positions to address growth.
Put in perspective: Katy ISD is in need of nearly 500 teachers to
SOURCE: KATY ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
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KATY SOUTH FULSHEAR EDITION • JUNE 2023
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