Katy North Edition | March 2024

Education

BY DAVE MANNING & HANNAH NORTON

KISD board votes not to change chaplain policy The Katy ISD board of trustees voted 5-2 in favor of a resolution declining to change district’s policy to allow chaplains to serve as school counselors or to be employed in an ocial capacity as a chaplain during the regular board meeting Feb. 26. Senate Bill 763, which passed during the 2023 Texas legislative session, mandated that districts vote by March 1 whether to change their policy to allow chaplains to act in those capacities. The bill stipulates the funding for hiring chaplains could be taken from the school safety portion of the state’s contribution to district budgets, an option rejected by many Houston-area school districts. The context On Feb. 19, the KISD board discussed the merits of changing district policy. Trustees said they were concerned about the following: • Which faiths would be included or excluded

Texas continues Clean School Bus program Hundreds of Texas public school districts will likely qualify for state funding as they switch to electric buses and other clean forms of transportation. Districts can request reimbursement for up to ve projects as they upgrade or replace diesel-powered buses. Roughly $13.5 million is available through the grant program, which is administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. About the program Applications for the 19th year of the Texas Clean School Bus program opened Feb. 14. Districts have until Oct. 14 to apply, but TCEQ Program Specialist Nate Hickman said funding is typically exhausted within the rst few months.

“As I stated before, spiritual formation and religious training are the responsibility of parents and their churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, ... and we cannot expect the schools to take over parenting.”

VICTOR PEREZ, KISD BOARD PRESIDENT

• Parental rights in religious training • Lack of need due to existing mentoring programs What they’re saying Trustees Victor Perez, Dawn Champagne, Lance Redmon, Rebecca Fox and Mary Ellen Cuzella voted for the resolution to decline the policy revisions proposed in SB 763. Trustees Amy Thieme and Morgan Calhoun voted against the resolution, saying they believed a policy could be created that works for stakeholders.

KATY NORTH EDITION