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Katy ISD · Regular Board Meeting Agenda
Katy ISD Regular Board Meeting, February 26, 2024
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In this meeting
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- 0:05 to 16:06 1. Call to Order
- 16:06 to 25:54 3. Oaths
- 25:54 to 2:12:59 4. Public Comment/Citizen Participation
- 2:12:59 to 2:13:25 5. Closed Meeting
- 2:13:25 to 2:15:24 6. Reconvene from Closed Meeting
- 2:15:24 to 2:17:25 7. Consent items
- 2:17:25 to 2:44:16 8.1 Discuss and consider Katy Independent School District Resolution regarding employing or accepting as volunteers chaplains.
- 2:44:16 to 3:01:38 9.1 Board Committee Updates
- 3:01:38 to 3:03:51 10. Future Meetings
Full transcript
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1. Call to Order
Noting that a quorum is present, I hereby call this regular board meeting of the Board of Trustees of Katy Independent School District to order.
Today is Monday, February 26th, 2024, and the time is 5.01 PM.
Dr. Gorgorski, will you verify that we're in compliance with the provisions of the Texas
Open Meetings Act with regard to the notice for this meeting?
Mr. President, I do confirm we're in compliance with the provisions of the Texas Open Meeting
Act for our meeting this evening.
If we're ready to go ahead, we'll go ahead and start by introducing our special guest
today who is going to lead us in the pledge in just a moment.
but we've got a special guest from Bryant Elementary School fifth grader
Cooper Sledge principal Ashley Pierce parents out there with Cooper Tim and
Yarrow Sledge he's got a sister over there to third grader Sadie Cooper loves
to play football participates in read deed run inquire likes to draw create
short videos movies and songs he also spends time volunteering at the
George at the Union Station for homeless veterans Cooper's favorite subject is
history. A couple of notes from his teachers. From Ms. Herrera, fifth grade, ELAR, Cooper Sledge
lights up a room when he walks in. His smile is contagious and he truly has the biggest heart.
I am proud of all he has accomplished in such a short time. And from Ms. Vann, fifth grade,
math and science, Cooper is a natural born leader that is going to make a difference in this world.
So welcome, Cooper. Before we bring you up to do our pledge, we want to introduce our Memorial
Memorial Parkway Junior High Varsity, Treble, and Tenor Bass Choirs,
who will be performing the national anthem for tonight.
So we're going to introduce those folks as well.
Memorial Parkway Junior High Principal is Greg Krause.
Select members from our Varsity, Treble, and Tenor Bass Choirs,
Music Director Sean Jackson.
Students here representing tonight, Addison Ingram, Addison Middleton,
Ashley Guillen, Ava Fagan, Daniel Andrew, Ella Fenwick, Ellie Peoples, Grayson Verner,
Judah Jewell, Christine Collins, Lincoln Finke, Sammy Richter, Scout Adams,
Valer Tennyson, and Xavi Vargas are all with us here tonight. And a quote from
their music director, Sean Jackson, these students are members of the varsity
treble and tenor-based choirs at Memorial Parkway Junior High,
choirs at MPJH, regularly earn sweepstakes awards,
and have students place in the region, honor choir,
and perform for their surrounding community.
The students before you are active volunteers, student-athletes,
and leaders in our school.
So if I could go ahead and have Cooper come on up
and lead us in that pledge.
Thank you.
Good evening. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to the Texas, one state, under God, one and indivisible.
And Cooper, if you'll just stay there for one moment, because you're going to give some remarks, but we're going to invite up our choir to go ahead and sing the National Anthem.
Thank you.
We hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Good evening, President Perez, board members, and Superintendent Graburski.
My name is Cooper Sledge.
I've been at Bryan Elementary for six years.
One of my favorite parts of my time at Bryant was this year when I became the all-tourism house leader and
The many fun experience that I have come with it when the house system started at Bryant
I was very excited and to have a lot of fun. I
Enjoy school and I am very thankful for the Bryant teachers principal and staff
I feel honored to have led today's pledges. Thank you
Thank you.
Mr. President, Mr. President, would it, I wonder if it would be
okay if we introduce the namesakes for Bryant Elementary and ask them to stand. They're
right there on row three. I don't know if you saw them come in, but when namesakes are
on the room, it's always nice to ... Y'all stand. Felice and Bob Bryant.
Bob Bryant.
Thank you. Good to have you here.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It's a very special recovery year, and I think I probably won't be around here for a long time.
Thank you.
Let's punch up.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
That was fantastic.
Such a great addition to our meetings.
Do we have any scouts in the audience?
Any scouts? I see some scouts right here up front. Why don't you come on up? Come on up to the mic right there.
Finally we have scouts. I love this.
Okay. Oh, look at that. Okay. This is, wow, this is the first meeting for several months that we've had scouts.
Okay, well, each one of you tell us what school you go to.
I go to Mornay Ranch Elementary.
Okay.
What's your name?
Eliani Yanez.
Okay.
And are you working on any particular badges right now?
Cookies.
Who's that?
Cookies.
Cookies?
Okay, okay, okay.
You've got to get out there before anyone and start hitting those doors.
Early Saturday morning.
Well, thank you so much.
Go ahead.
Is that yours?
Your sister next to you?
Huh?
Yes.
No.
Okay.
Can you go ahead and let her.
What's your name?
Go ahead and get in front of the mic.
My name is Brielle.
I'm sorry.
I can't hear you.
Go ahead.
My name is Brielle.
Okay.
What school do you go to?
Morton Ranch Elementary.
Morton Ranch Elementary?
Same class.
Okay.
All right.
Great.
I've been to Morton Ranch.
It's a great school.
Well, congratulations.
And also right there, we have one more.
Can you scoot over so she can?
When it rains, it pours.
Go ahead.
Go ahead.
What's your name?
Renly.
Renly.
And does she go to Morence Elementary also?
No. She doesn't go to school.
Okay, okay. Well, we started him young now selling those cookies, huh?
Get that training in. Well, thank you so much for being here and keep it up.
Keep up the hard work. Scouting is great.
Thank you. And now, the young man, tell us your name and where you go to school.
Ethan. Speak up, Ethan. Go ahead. I go to Lindsay Elementary. Okay, good. And how long have you been in
Scouts now? Six years, I think. What rank are you? Scout. I'm working on tenderfoot. Tenderfoot, okay.
Have you gone to your first camp out? Yes. Okay, okay. And what do you work on in terms of getting
getting your tender for anything in particular you're working on? No, citizenship and society.
Citizenship and society, that's good. Can't go wrong there. Well, thanks so much and keep it up.
And the next young man? My name is Mason Green. Good to meet you and where do you go to school?
I go to a place called Liberty Classical, which is a homeschool organization.
organization. Okay, okay, and what rank are you? I am scout working on Tenderfoot. On Tenderfoot,
okay, well keep that up because you have Tenderfoot, what is it, Tenderfoot,
second class, first class, let's see, Bear, you know, Star Life, and then Eagle, right? Okay,
I mean scouting is a wonderful organization and I tell you what, I got a lot of it when I was in
and so keep it up. I was fortunate and blessed to become an Eagle Scout and I
finally quit when the shorts that made me wear were like it was looking kind of
weird with me wearing shorts and wearing a scouting outfit like in about ninth or
tenth grade. Anyway well thank you so much and keep it up. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for coming.
Oh, okay, sure, go ahead.
Hello, KDISD board.
My name is Eliana Yanez, and I am a Brownie Girl Scout with Troop 128-115 from Martin Ranch Elementary.
Being a Girl Scout is one of the things I am most proud of.
It has allowed me to make great memories, experience cool things, and do my part to help my community.
My favorite thing about Girl Scouts is all the great friends I have made along the way.
My most memorable moment is when we went to Splash Town last summer. We had a blast.
We love to help the community, so our troop does many activities during the year, such as Cupid Crew.
We make Valentine's Day cards for our friends at the nursery home and deliver them personally.
They enjoy our company and are always happy to see us.
We also enjoy partnering with KDISD Police Department for their Stand the Cops program.
Every cookie season, we collect donations for our first responders.
On behalf of all the Girl Scouts and KDISD, I would like to thank you for making KDISD
a place where girls can challenge themselves, be confident in who they are, and make our
community and the world a better place through Girl Scouts.
We brought you each Girl Scout cookies as a sweet little token of our appreciation for
all your support of Girl Scouts.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Wow.
That's good.
Yeah, this is good.
This is good.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Wow.
Before the evening's over, we may need this.
This is a good spot for these right here.
Perfect spot.
Thanks so much.
One thing great about scouting is community service.
You learn a lot about community service and God and country.
I love it.
Thank you so much.
very generous so do you want to we have we have now the oath presenter Henry
3. Oaths
Gaugh KDISD chief of police peace officer oath of office KDISD police officer
Good evening, Board President Perez, Superintendent Gorski, board members. Thank you for having us this evening. We are proud to present to you all four of our newest officers. As you will see, they come here with vast amounts of experience and we are proud to welcome them to the force and to the community. And here we'll have Sergeant Clarence Howard to introduce them.
First we have James Long.
Officer Long has been a resident of Katy since 1984 and graduated from James E. Taylor High
School in 1990.
Officer Long began his distinguished career in law enforcement in 1993.
Officer Long served the city police department as a 19 year veteran, most recently as a detective
sergeant in their criminal investigation division where he oversaw countless criminal investigations
and participated in numerous off duty community relation events.
We are now fortunate to have Officer Long as a member of our police department.
for me.
Daniel Menzies.
Officer Menzies is originally from Newport News, Virginia.
Upon graduation from Denbigh High School Aviation Magnet Program, he enlisted in the United
States Marine Corps at the Combat Engineering.
After eight years of service, he was honorably discharged at the rank of sergeant.
Officer Menzies began his law enforcement career in Newport News Police Department in Newport News, Virginia.
Officer Menzies ascended through the ranks and was promoted to master police officer.
He has worked with NNPD for approximately nine years, serving various roles within the department,
including mid-level patrol supervisor, officer to officer mentor, academy instructor,
instructor, specialty teams instructor, mid-level specialty team supervisor, training coordinator
for specialty teams, honor guard member, drone team member, community outreach course instructor,
youth outreach assistant, academy training assistant, and annual training assistant.
Officer Menzies completed numerous training courses through various agencies while within
NPD to include FBI, FEMA, and National, State, and Local Institute.
Officer Menzies obtained his undergraduate degree in criminal justice with a specialization
and Homeland Security and his master's degree in criminal justice with dual majors in investigations and forensics from st
Leo University. He continues his education with SAU by currently working on his doctorate degree in criminal justice.
Officer Menzies has traveled from Virginia to Katy for family, joined the Katy I.C. Police Department in October
2023. Officer Menzies currently has his basic police officer and basic instructor certification through TCO while in the process of attempting to reach
his masterpiece office certification
officers and under religion
of Shonda Rose is a native of Waller County and attended teak's police
Academy College Station Texas in 2001 she has had the blessing of serving the
Waller County community working for Waller County Sheriff's Office for 25
years until her retirement in August 2023.
Officer Rutledge graduated from Hempstead High School, class of 1989, and attended
Prairie View A&M University studying criminal justice. While working for
Waller County, she worked in the jail, courts, transportation, patrol,
and as a detective in CID, Criminal Investigation Division, for 18 years.
Officer Rutledge has also worked hundreds of major crime cases.
She has a passion for advocating for kids and domestic violent victims.
She has worked with several different agencies at state and federal level while gaining her
vast experience.
Officer Relish hopes to continue being able to serve KDISD and the community through diligence
and trustworthiness.
Officer Javier Zavala.
Officer Javier Eugene Zavala graduated from Jersey Village High School in 2018 and graduated
from the University of Houston downtown basic peace officer certification class 331 in December
2022.
Before coming to work for KDISD Police Department, Officer Zavala was working in Harris County
appreciate one for four years doing security work inside the courthouses officer zavala has worked
several jobs probably that as well he delivered pizza for dominoes he performed custodial work
at marriott hotel in the woodlands officer zavala is grateful for his family and katie isd
for the opportunity to work for a great police department
Thank you.
And to this day, I would like to congratulate you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Mr. President, I've got a couple of recognitions.
If you would give me a moment to go ahead and introduce some folks that have joined us.
First time we've had a chance to bring them out to our school board.
But over at Morton Ranch High School, we have a new football coach and campus athletic director over there, Nick Cavallo.
Where's Nick?
There he is.
Nick, welcome.
It's great for you to be here.
I see you brought some folks with you.
If you would introduce who you've got with you here tonight.
Thank you.
Yes, my wife.
My wife, Adriana.
My son, Blake.
My son, Clayton.
And my sister, Brooke.
I see you guys been out shopping for purple.
It's awesome.
Well, welcome.
It's great to have you here with us.
Appreciate it.
Also, I'd like to recognize and introduce to our board from our newest high school, yet to be open but very soon, Freeman High School, Eric Robinson.
There's Eric.
And Eric, who did you bring with you tonight?
All right, I got my son, Cooper.
My daughter, Kellen.
My other daughter, Kaden.
And my head coach, Jenna.
Thank you, Coach.
Appreciate you guys coming out tonight.
4. Public Comment/Citizen Participation
At this time, the Board of Trustees will give members of the public an opportunity to speak
in accordance with KDISD Board Policy BED Local.
As defined by Board Policy, speakers who signed up by 2 p.m.
on Monday, February 26, 2024, provided their first and last name
and signed in 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting
will be allowed to address the Board.
Speakers who signed up to speak on posted agenda items
will be allowed three minutes to speak.
Speakers who signed up to speak on non-agenda items
will also be allowed three minutes to speak.
If a speaker is not finished speaking at the end of their allotted time, the audio will turn off.
If speakers wish to share written material with the Board,
please provide 10 copies to the Secretary for Board Services before the meeting begins for Board members,
the Superintendent, the Chief Communications Officer, and Permanent Record.
If a speaker has not attempted to solve a matter administratively through proper channels as stated in Board policy,
the presiding officer's designee shall advise the speaker to seek resolution through the appropriate policy.
Finally, pursuant to Texas Government Code sections 551.074 and 551.0821,
the Board will not permit the presentation of personally identifiable information regarding a student
and will not discuss the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline,
discipline or dismissal of a public officer or employee or to hear a complaint or charge
against an officer or employee.
Should a speaker wish to address one of these issues, they must do so through the appropriate
local grievance policies, FNG local, DGBA local, CKE local or GF local.
Our speakers will be called forward in the order they sign up to speak and we call first
the speakers who signed up on agenda to speak on agenda items and the first
speaker is Nasir Malik and after that is Rocky Malloy good afternoon everyone
may I begin good afternoon I stand before you today as you consider the
adoption of the school chaplain act for KD ISD schools potentially replacing
school counselors with unsatisfied chaplains. I respect the diversity of
beliefs within our community as a father, a grandfather, and a leader in the
interfaith community over the last 20 years. I believe it is essential to
maintain the secular nature of our public educational system. Our public
schools should be a space that welcomes and supports students from all walks of
life regardless of their religious or non-religious backgrounds. School
counselors play a crucial role in the academic and emotional well-being of
our students. They provide guidance, support and resources to help navigate
the challenges of adolescence. They are trained professionals equipped with to
to address a wide range of issues,
from academic struggles to mental health concerns.
The American School Counselors Association recommends
schools have one counselor for every 250 students.
Yet in the state of Texas,
the ratio is one for every 390 students.
Introducing chaplains rather than hiring
additional counselors who have been trained
and have received professional counselor certification
could potentially limit the effectiveness of our counseling service
and compromise the inclusive atmosphere we strive to create. Furthermore, our
public education system should uphold the separation of church and state, the
fundamental principle that ensures equal treatment for all individuals. I urge the
school board to
well-being of our students by maintaining the secular nature of our
public schools. Together we can build a more inclusive education environment for
the benefit for all instead of passing a policy that is forced upon you by our
state government that does not solve our problem of not having enough support
staff for our students and creates more potential concerns while alienating kids
from different backgrounds.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Rocky Malloy.
Rocky Malloy, followed by Joshki Malloy.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
I'm the founder and CEO of the National School Chaplain Association.
We have 30,000 schools with our certified chaplains.
that represents a database of about 27 million people.
There's also 10,000 federal chaplains.
There's hundreds of Texas chaplains.
And there's chaplains being deployed in schools across the state of Texas right now.
Religious minorities are the greatest benefactors of chaplains because they have proven.
I got a 600-page document right there.
They have proven to reduce suicide, depression, teen pregnancy, drug use, violence, and bullying.
The unintended consequences of chaplaincy that is so passionately represented to you
through these testimonies is not supported by the data.
There is no data to support what they are representing.
It's opinion and strongman arguments.
Dr. Lisa Miller, the clinical psychologist that provided evidence used by the U.S. Army,
Marine Corps, and the U.S. Navy states that not providing spiritual care as provided by
chaplaincy actually creates mental illness.
Now the Marine Corps, the Army, they have plenty of medical professionals that deal
with mental health.
Without chaplaincy, they have more to do.
Thank you for consideration in voting yes for school chaplains for Katy Independent
School District, following the majority of other school districts in the state of Texas.
Thank you.
Trustee Molloy followed by Patricia Spor.
Good evening, Board of Trustees.
Thank you so much for all you do to serve your community, ensuring that its children
get the best education and care to be successful in life.
That is quite a job.
And I'm not jealous of your position.
Bless you for doing that.
I want to make you aware of the fact that in 2023,
there was a report of one million assaults, felony assaults, on teachers.
Those assaults were caused by students.
They were assaulted by their students.
Teachers are leaving, accredited teachers are leaving education by the droves.
That should be alarm for us.
That means somewhere there is a gap in the service that we are providing
to our most precious resource, training our children.
And I believe that is spiritual care.
Chaplains do not counsel.
They're not professional counselors.
counselors. They are professionally trained to address the spiritual needs of those that
are at school. First of all, the teachers. And if needed, be the students and their parents.
It's more than once that when there's public trauma, school boards, in case of school shootings,
and in case of natural disasters bring in the chaplains because the trauma is
visible to the eyes of everybody but how many traumas are happening on your
school campuses not visible to your eyes that need the same care why bring it in
chaplains in when there's trauma visible to your eyes but not have chaplains
available when there's trauma not visible to your eyes.
And there is trauma.
Our chaplains, NSCA chaplains, they go through a training process.
They are well certified.
There's background checks.
We prepare them.
They are just not somebody we pick off of the street.
They go through a vetting program.
I would encourage you to hire chaplains for each of your campuses.
The district doesn't pay for them.
The state says they will pay for them.
hold the state accountable thank you very much Patricia Spohr followed by GF
Watkins good evening board I'm Patricia Spohr and I am a Texas school chaplain
that as miss Joski was just speaking that I have been certified I've been
been through all the vetting process. I'm not only a school chaplain, but I'm also chaplain
with Boy Scouts of America and Department of Criminal Justice for State of Texas.
A chaplain's role is vital to the spiritual and emotional well-being of all students,
and I do have this paper I'll hand to give out later of what a chaplain is and what a chaplain
isn't. I'm just going to highlight a few things. We provide a listening ear for concerns and an
advocate for all. We foster an inclusive and supportive environment for students
of different faiths and cultural backgrounds. We promote values and ethics,
a strong sense of integrity and compassion. We collaborate with the other
staff members of the school community. We are a crucial part of the active response
or threat assessment team in helping eliminate school violence and increased
increased awareness amongst students against bullying and suicide,
fostering a supportive, loving, caring, and inclusive environment.
We are not a teacher, academic instructor,
school chaplain is not meant to replace mental health counselors.
They do not solely focus on academic subjects or curriculum.
We are a spiritual and pastoral support figure,
provides guidance and counseling and supports to students staff and families
we are not security guards so we do not referee in conflicts we are not there to
proselytize or evangelize the students or staff although we can provide
spiritual support at any level of faith children and also there are not where
We are there to provide a loving, caring support ear and an advocate and report.
Like in Boy Scouts chaplains, we are to report any signs of abuse.
We stay within integrity and above reproach.
And we are there to alert those that are awful, that are unlawful or abusive.
And I'd just like to end by saying that if there had been a school chaplain at New Caney just a couple of weeks ago,
that those 10 students went to the hospital from being laced with THC gummies.
If there had been a school chaplain, maybe they would have noticed and alerted
and saw something funny going on, and they would have had a way to let the staff know
and let their community of the school know what was happening,
and maybe that could have prevented and saved them from going through that traumatic process.
I thank you so much for considering to be the fourth of the last week.
week. We had three that were...
Thank you.
G.F. Watkins, then Joseph
Atensky.
America has a deadly plague. It comes over into our schools.
61% of our homes are fatherless.
Chaplains are a father figure.
figure. 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. 90% of homeless runaways come from
fatherless homes. 85% of children with behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes. 80%
of rapists come from fatherless homes. 71% of high school dropouts, fatherless homes
and 85% of teenagers behind bars, fatherless homes. I don't know that that's anybody's
fault but it is our obligation to try to help I can't think of any reason why not
to have a trained certified father figure that has a heart for sacrificial
efforts most of these guys that come on the chaplaincy and are certified come
from being retired coaches or retired military they've already given their
life and now they want to do it a little bit more that's exactly what we're
trying to get past here the governor has already passed it all you have to do is
voted in. Being a member of this community since 1996, I've trained
millions of fathers. It's what I do. We partner with school districts, we partner
with coaches, we partner with people all over the world to do this. I know what
I'm talking about. I've seen it. I've seen it at the very worst. My whole family is
educators. We are all from superintendents down to coaches. One of
One of the stops that we made was Uvalde, Texas.
All of those people that are running the town right now, from the superintendent to the
mayor, were my classmates.
I'm well aware of what happened.
Each one of them will tell you.
If they would have had some people on the inside, they would have known exactly what
was going on before it happened.
Preventative maintenance is the best kind of maintenance.
Thank you for hearing me.
I hope you'll vote this in.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Mr. President, Mr. President.
Joseph Atinsky.
Mr. President, may I ask a question of clarification, please?
Well, I think let's continue with the
Well, on this particular person, because we can ask if it's an agenda item.
I just want to see, are all chaplains male?
I don't know the answer to that.
Okay, let's continue with the open forum.
Let's continue with the open forum.
Joseph Hatinsky, followed by Anthony Stewart.
Thank you, Superintendent, Mr. President, KDISD board members, and any in the community who may view this meeting remotely.
At last week's board meeting, I listened to complaints about students who feel marginalized and unfairly exposed,
and forced to choose between their religion and their education.
I heard from adults of old wounds of discrimination and abuse and parental concerns over a breakdown of communication.
Students thrive when they have a safe place to learn and share with one another without judgment.
Chaplains can help by listening and connecting students with those who share their values and beliefs.
I am an ordained minister with the Master of Divinity from Gateway Seminary, a former teacher of 15 years, a Teacher of the Year nominee, a certified chaplain and trained first responder with the National School Chaplain Association, and an active member of Powerhouse Church in Katy, Texas.
I have over 30 years of experience in education, ministry, and international service.
Some of my pastors and good friends have already answered your call for willing
adults to help teachers and support staff reach further and deeper. Men and
women did the same for me when I was in school. My parents divorced when I was
two and if not for the loving adults at the schools I attended. Teachers,
administrators, teacher aides, parents and counselors who helped me, I would not
have survived the physical and emotional abuse, neglect and forced isolation I
experienced at home by men who weren't my father i was angry and broken but an army of loving adults
at school walked with me through it all to help me recover from and become a successful and healthy
adult no surprise i too became a teacher who made home visits and who spent my free time abroad
reaching others in need then in june of 2023 i learned about senate bill 763 that i could once
again provide practical community support to pre-k through grade 12
students teachers and families I urge you vote yes to use what you've heard to
form policies that everyone can be comfortable with to use chaplains as
constant connectors and bridge builders who can help fill in the gaps God bless
Bless you for your service and thank you for listening.
Thank you.
Anthony Stewart followed by Monica Reese.
I would like to first and foremost honor Superintendent Gregorski, President Victor Perez and the
Board of Trustees for allowing me to stand and speak before you today.
I'm a proud parent of children who attend KDISD schools and a proud community member.
Today I stand before you as a Baylor University graduate with a master's degree, former KDISD substitute teacher, former corporate America employee, and I am now an executive pastor at my church.
I have been actively engaged with various organizations and initiatives in my community, including my church being an all-in partner with the Partners in Education program.
We support Promise to Read programs.
We work alongside the Boys and Girls Club Scouts.
and I am current I am a current keys mentor and I have the privilege of
serving on the YMCA advisory board as well I wish I could say my involvement
in these organizations was due to my ambition but did not come from that I
would like to share a personal story I come from a fatherless home I'm the
second oldest of six and I saw my mother do everything she could do to make ends
meet during my middle school years I participated in a science project
despite having limited resources the school invited chaplains and community
leaders to be judges of the projects. While I did not secure first, second, or third place,
I did receive honorable mention. The encouragement I received from a chaplain and community leader
left an indelible mark on me. They told me these words, despite your surroundings, you have what
it takes to make it. I see potential in you. Their belief in my potential sparked a newfound hope
within me, demonstrating the power in the words of affirmation. Through keys, individuals can
leave a lasting legacy by positively impacting the next generation of like the chaplain and community
leader did for me i ask that you join the ranks of round rock isd in georgetown isd districts
in supporting senate bill 763 by endorsing this bill we can further cultivate an environment where
mentorship affirmation community engagement and educational opportunities thrive in conclusion
In conclusion, Senate Bill 763 embodies the values of empowerment, support, and progress.
I believe in your ability to continue leading us toward a future marked by continued growth,
prosperity and excellence.
Your leadership inspires confidence and instills a sense of pride in our school district, and
for that I am truly grateful.
Thank you for your tireless efforts, your vision, and your unwavering commitment to
the betterment of our community.
community. Please know that your leadership does not go unnoticed and is deeply appreciated
by all who benefit from it. Thank you for considering my perspective on this matter.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Monica Ruiz, followed by Jorge Gonzalez.
Good afternoon, Mr. President, Superintendent, Mr. Gorgoski, and the board members. Thank
Thank you. My name is Monica Ruiz, and I've been a Katy resident for over 20 years.
I am a parent of two Katy ISD graduates.
One graduated from Morton Ranch High School. The second one has graduated from Pato High School.
And I am currently a grandparent of Katy ISD. My grandchildren go to Katy ISD schools.
I am here to address Senate Bill 763.
When my husband and I decided to move to the Katy area, we knew that this was the place we wanted to raise our children due to the school district and the schools, and we have been blessed to be part of this community.
I want to share a personal story.
Back in 2007, my oldest son was at a point where he required additional guidance.
No licensed counselor was able to bridge the gap between home life and school.
He was feeling isolated, bullied, and troubled, and although he had both parents at home, we were not able to provide the support that he needed.
Had there been someone providing compassionate, non-critical, unbiased support and understanding his needs at the time, I truly believe that my son would have not slipped through the cracks.
Because he encountered an advocate for his well-being, someone years later, he provided the guidance and encouragement and affirmation he so desperately needed.
And I am excited to share with you that he is a successful citizen of this community at this time.
I ask that you do not dismiss Senate Bill 763.
If a clear and defined job description is put in place, I believe that 7 Bill 763 will not only benefit the student body, but also the community as well.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Jorge Gonzalez, followed by Kimberly Gonzalez.
Good evening, President, Dr. Gagorski and trustees.
Thank you guys for everything you do for your service for the families and the community.
And thank you for giving your lives for these students and for our children.
So my name is George Gonzalez and I'm a KDISD graduate from Katy High School.
My son is also a recent KDISD graduate from Maid Creek High School and my daughter is
currently attending Pato High School.
and we have one on the way that will be soon attending KDISD schools.
So I've worked diligently as a volunteer to make the well-being and academic success of
our students a priority through the KEYS program since 2018, the Promise to Read program, and
I'm currently a member of KDISD's leadership KD.
It's an honor to serve the next generation and it's important to ensure that these children
succeed.
I wish to speak to you guys in regards to Senate Bill 763 and allowing chaplains in
KDISD schools.
I believe that we have an opportunity here to positively impact the community and school district.
To date, there are trained chaplains in 30,000 schools in 23 countries.
Statistics show some of the benefits that have been experienced is improved teacher retention, school safety,
graduation rates and grades, but also decreased teen pregnancies, dropouts, bullying, substance abuse, and suicides.
With the 95,000 students and growing in Katy ISD, we have the opportunity to make a positive impact and to listen to their hearts and to listen to their needs.
To support the students and faculty with the same heart and the vision that the board and the Katy ISD has.
Back when I was in school, home life was dark. It was chaotic. The only light and structure that I had was when I was in school.
I personally would have benefited from someone that was available to listen without judgment,
someone that cared about my well-being and that wouldn't let me quit, someone to show
compassion, to help me see the vision for a different future than the bleak one that
I saw at home.
Outside of school, to see the greatness inside of me and to call it out.
As a former KDISD graduate and parent of KDISD students and as a father, I urge you to vote
yes for the implementation of the chaplaincy in KDISD.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to speak here tonight.
Thank you.
Kimberly Gonzalez and then Matthew Anwana.
Good afternoon, Superintendent Krakorski, Mr. President, and KDISD board members.
Thank you for the opportunity for me to speak today and for all that you do for KDISD.
My name is Kimberly Gonzalez, and that was my husband that just spoke,
are probably going to repeat some of it. I have been blessed to live in Katy ISD for almost 20
years. I'm an active member of our local church for almost 20 years as well. I'm here to address
the board on behalf of Senate Bill 763. I'm here first as a mother of two who grew up in Katy ISD.
My son graduated in 2022 from Maid Creek High School and my daughter is currently attending
Pato High School and of course in just a few years this one will be joining Katy ISD system.
I am also here as a keys mentor. I have been part of keys mentoring for over five years now and I enjoy it very much.
I have mentored students at Seven Lakes High School, Morton Ranch High School, OAC and Raines High School.
I've had the opportunity to see firsthand what a positive impact a person can make in a student's life just by creating an unbiased and safe place for them to speak and to share their feelings.
If mentors who only see the students for maybe 30 minutes to an hour per week can provide support and motivation,
then we could expect amazing results with having a chaplain on campus available at any time.
A chaplain's role is to provide a safe place for students, teachers, and staff by being present to listen, encourage,
and care for each individual to make sure everyone on campus is seen and heard.
With being a parent and a mentor to youth, it's not hard to see the struggles
that our students go through daily, whether it be at home or at school,
whether it be abuse, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, self-harm, or even suicidal thoughts.
Our youth deal with much more than just trying to keep their grades up
or participating in extracurricular activities.
Some are just trying to make it each day.
Some are just trying to survive.
Extra support and encouragement on the school grounds
would only help our students more emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.
A chaplain is there to provide support to everyone,
regardless of race, sex, age, or religion.
I urge you to vote yes.
This is to support our children, teachers, and staff.
Thank you again for letting me speak.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Matthew Anwana, followed by Melissa Forsyth.
Good, Mr. Superintendent.
on board members my name is mr matthew orana i hail from nigeria i relocated here with my family
in 2008 i'm blessed with four children my first daughter and um they started the elementary school
in kd elementary you know and um i just want to commend the board members and the krisd for
for a great job you've done so far.
But like we all know, life is constantly
evolving and changing.
There are pressures everywhere.
The school system we knew back in 2008
is constantly under pressure.
Children are getting involved in things they are not supposed
to.
I go to jail and I see great potentials incarcerated.
Why?
Because there were no mentors to look up to.
No parents.
Nobody to tell them what is right or wrong.
I grew up as an orphan.
My parents died when I was just barely 13.
I made bad choices back in Africa.
But thank God, God redirected me.
I went to school, got married.
My first daughter is heading to medical school.
My second daughter will be graduating University of Texas, St. Marcos.
My son has got multiple admissions, you know, heading to Methodist University in Dallas.
And of course, my last daughter also is in Peter High School.
So, but how many parents are there to give that direction?
Parenting is one of the most difficult things you can do.
You can't fire your children.
You can't fire people in your workplace as a CEO.
But your children is impossible.
We need support.
Where I come from, it takes a community to bring up children.
And that is why chaplains will give needed support.
Please, I want to implore you because suicide, my second daughter,
almost committed suicide in college.
I drove like a crazy guy to St. Marcos.
Why? Because there was no chaplain to help this child.
Like I said, it takes community.
Chaplain is not taking away the job of counselors.
They are overwhelmed.
You know the pressure these guys are going through in school.
And it is just an addition, a catalyst, a support system to help out and to build up these children.
and please I want to employ because this is our future 20 years from now I'm
gonna I'm gonna turn 80 20 years from now you and I all of you see that yet
would not be here so who are we going to handle back the next generation so I
need that thank you thank you very much
Melissa, Melissa Forsyth. Followed by Lynette Alidon.
Good evening. Thank you for this opportunity to speak. My name is Melissa Forsyth, and I'm here
as a parent of two KBISD students. One you will hear from later. She's an 11th grader at Cinco
Ranch High School and a son who's at Beck Junior High and I'm here to support
implementation of chaplains in KD ISD schools. When I was doing some research
on why this bill may be so controversial I was only able to come across
arguments that were vague like it may harm students. There were no specifics on
how it could potentially harm students. There were also some worst case
scenarios and conjecture like students will be indoctrinated into Christianity
or it's a form of Christian nationalism in reality implementing this program in
schools will simply make a chaplain available to students it's still
students choice to speak with the chaplain nothing is going to be forced
upon them the chaplain will be available to students who need it and seek it
students like my kids who are constantly exposed to messages and ideas that
that are contrary to my family's faith and values.
So parents who may be opposed to this
are worried that their students could be exposed
to things that are contrary to their family's values,
but we're all worried about that.
Parents are worried about the same things.
The difference though,
is that their students have a choice.
They have a choice not to engage with the chaplains.
My kids don't have a choice.
They are constantly around negative and harmful messages surrounded by it every
day from all different sides. Having someone that they could go to who is a
trusted adult that they can that can provide them guidance would be so
beneficial to them. So parents can talk about worst-case scenarios of placing
chaplains in schools but in reality we're already on a trajectory of
of worst case scenarios.
Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide
among young people have increased exponentially.
One thing I can tell you is that it's not
from having chaplains in schools.
It's not from religion being in schools,
because we've already removed that.
It's not from advancing Christian values,
because we don't do that anymore either.
So we can continue doing what we've been doing
and getting the same result, or we can try something else.
These students need to have trusted adults embedded in the schools that are dedicated to their emotional support.
In addition to being a parent of two, I'm also a court-appointed special advocate, a CASA, to a foster student.
And I prov- although she's not a believer, I provide her Christian guidance and values like trusting or providing, um, I'm sorry, I just-
lost my train of thought um well my time is up thank you
lynette alidon followed by lisa lister brown
good evening dr gorgorski and the board of trustees i'm lynette alidon retired
kdisd librarian concerned stakeholder here to address agenda item 7.15
5 regarding the update at EFB Legal specifically concerning library instructional materials.
I urge the Board to consider recent developments, notably the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
ruling deeming much of House Bill 900 unconstitutional.
TASB plans to release an updated EFB Legal policy in May in response.
Therefore, I propose postponing the adoption of EFB Legal update until TASB provides a
legally sound policy.
It appears that the recent directive given to librarians by the District regarding the
Did you give your topic as chaplains?
Because we're talking about agenda items.
This is on the agenda, sir.
We're talking about agenda items.
The agenda item is 7.15.
I said that.
7.15.
Yes, sir.
Okay.
I have here that you were going to talk about chaplains.
No, sir.
That was not on.
I specifically addressed this item.
Go ahead.
Thank you.
It appears that the recent directive given to librarians by the district regarding the
purchase of new books for the school library collection is in response to the EFB legal
policy published before this Fifth Circuit Court's ruling. This directive
requires librarians to read every book, every new book in its entirety, verify
with their principal, and submit book titles to the district for placement on
the new book title public review and comment dashboard for a 30-day period. If
there are no objections during this time the books can be purchased. I believe
this that this directive may be a knee-jerk reaction without sufficient
consideration of its implications. It's essential for the district to carefully
assess the situation ensure that any policies put in place align with legal
requirements while also supporting the district's educational goals first of
all the directive poses significant challenges for our librarians as it
seems impractical to expect them to read every new book in its entirety before
purchasing this creates a catch-22 situation where libraries cannot
purchase books without reading them first they rely on trusted professional
reviews to assess suitability avoiding the need to read each book themselves if
If this directive remains in place, students may face barriers to assessing these books through their school libraries.
It's important to recognize that all families have easy access to public libraries,
and some may not have the financial means to purchase books for their children.
Students rely on their school libraries not only for academic resources,
but also for access to books for pleasure reading and to explore diverse perspectives.
By limiting access to new books, we risk depriving students of valuable opportunities to engage with literature,
see themselves represented in stories and learn about different cultures. This
new directive will prolong the purchasing process even further and add
more stress to our librarians. My former colleagues have a time constraint where
it comes to purchasing new library books. If they fail to submit their
purchase request before the end of the school year, their principals may
allocate their budget to their discretion and potentially decrease
their funding the following school year. If the district requires campus names to
be attached to book titles on the public dashboard, objectors should likewise
provide their real names to ensure accountability. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
you so much. By the way, I will not tolerate any outbursts from the crowd or
any yelling out at the board. You're subject to dismissal if that continues.
Thank you. All right, go ahead five seconds. Okay, as I was saying,
stakeholders need transparency and objectives without resorting to public
information requests which can complicate reviews. Additionally, linking
linking campus names to book titles may pose safety concerns for librarians.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Lisa Lister-Brown, after that, Samantha Rich.
My name is Lisa Lister-Brown.
I'm a KDISD parent.
I'm here to remind you and speakers 1 to 14 tonight that public schools are not Sunday schools.
The spiritual development of children is not the purview of government and it is not the business of public school boards.
Adopting a chaplain policy crosses the line in the separation of church and state.
It crosses the line of parental authority.
It puts kids emotional welfare in the hands of people who are not necessarily
suitably trained to care for their mental health and into the laps of a
segment of society historically linked with childhood sexual abuse.
I think the majority of this board plan to adopt a chaplain policy for this
district because they want to give the appearance of being warriors in the
Christian nationalist movement. I think the current board majority want to appease their
pack handlers and kowtow to Austin at the expense of our district and our children.
The resolution before you tonight kicks the can down the road. It effectively says we won't
impose a policy now but we will do it when we want and how we want. I believe the only reason
the majority are proposing this resolution is because they are well aware that SB763
is widely unpopular in the community and endorsing it now will negatively impact the electoral
prospects of candidates backed by Christian nationalists in the upcoming board election.
I believe you know it's going to be politically damaging to impose a chaplain policy now,
yet you have every intention of railroading one through and you're
planning to do it after the election when it's more politically expedient.
I see this manoeuvre for what it is, we all do, you're playing political games
instead of upholding your duty to do what's best for our district. This
community does not want your political games and it does not want you to accept
SB 763. Most Texas districts, even the ones with far fewer resources than ours,
have rejected SB 763. There is insufficient reason for you to refrain
from rejecting it tonight. Other programs are in place. Please reject the current
resolution before you and instead adopt a resolution that rejects 763. All
Christians who love America are encouraged to go to the website BJC
online.org. All voters who believe that our community is our responsibility and
that it does... Thank you. Thank you very much. The next speaker is Samantha Rich
Dr. Sam Rich followed by Jared Burton.
Hello, my name is Dr. Sam Rich. I'm a KDISD parent, volunteer, and educator.
I'm here tonight to share my concerns for allowing unqualified chaplains to replace, not assist, replace, trained and qualified full-time school counselors.
SB 763 removes TEA certification, background in mental health, master's degree, counseling training, and experience, and much more.
It removes years of training and certification and replaces it with only a background check.
School counselors are trained to support the varied beliefs and needs of students and faculty with staff trainings, course planning, college scholarships, mental health services, job search, military readiness, and transcripts, just to name a few.
removing school counselors will put undue burdens on our already overloaded and underpaid faculty
and bring in non-qualified individuals which will add more burden for our schools to manage
sb763 allows a leader of a specific religion to fulfill the role of a public school faculty
which is problematic because public schools are government entities and should not support a
specific religion sb763 is bad policy and i urge this board to not support in addition to
my concerns over replacing trained faculty with untrained individuals.
I'd also like to share my concerns for the quality of policies being developed by this board.
This school year we've seen rushed policies which had flaws that required hours of discussions
and edits, wasting valuable time and resources for our board, faculty, and community members.
We've also seen policies that do not include the voices, experiences, and
expertise of stakeholders who will be directly impacted. Stakeholder
engagement is key to improving policies. For example, we saw how the
the exclusion of librarians from book-related policies led to vague wording and specification,
which led to innocent children books being banned, which led to hours of discussions and edits,
which then led to the books being reinstated. We now see a new policy banning librarians from
using trusted and valuable review sources and instead requiring librarians to personally review
the hundreds of new books added each year. After chatting with KDIC librarians, this policy would
would require more than 800 hours or 20 full-time employee
working weeks per librarian in KDISD.
These could have been avoided by including librarians.
We've also seen how the exclusion of school counselors,
medical professionals, teachers, students, and community members
negatively impact other KDISD policies.
I urge our board to include a variety of stakeholders
in your policy development.
To summarize, our public education
is built on qualified, trained staff.
SB 763 and flawed policies undermine this foundation. Unqualified individuals
should never replace trained public school faculty. This board has a record
of excluding stakeholder experiences and voices which waste resources, times, and
funds. It's concerning to see our board give so much power to unqualified voices
over their own qualified faculty. Librarians and school counselors are
extremely important roles that if removed as we're seeing in other
districts will have detrimental impacts on our students, teachers, and community. I
know that was fast and I emailed you each a copy of what I just said. Thank
Thank you for your time and for considering my words.
Thank you.
Jared Burton, followed by Jamie Smith.
Jared Burton, followed by Jamie Smith.
Jared Burton.
Hello, board.
My name is Jared Burton.
I'm a junior at Tompkins and president of the school's Sexuality and Gender Alliance Club.
Last week, the board discussed SB763, which allows Texas school districts to employ or accept as volunteer chaplains as mental health care providers,
and proposed a resolution that would essentially keep things the way they are, that is, no chaplains in our public schools.
I strongly urge the board to pass the resolution as written.
While the resolution allows for the board to revisit the matter at a later time, I argue that there is no need.
our students do not need religious chaplains not now and not ever with that
said I'd like to shift my focus to the comments made by the board during last
discussion meeting miss TME during discussion you have seemed very adamant
on allowing school chaplains as a mental health resource for our
students I've been to every board meeting since chaplains first became a
topic of discussion and before today I only saw one person speak in vague
support but countless students people of faith and chaplains themselves have
explicitly spoken against it. I ask you, Ms. Tiemi, if you won't listen to students,
if you won't listen to people of faith, and you won't listen to chaplains
themselves, who will you listen to?
Additionally, you bring up positive impacts of school chaplaincy, such as
higher rates of graduation or lower suicide rates. You even said you're
willing to prohibit chaplains from discussing religion, but at that point,
what can the chaplain do that a trained counselor couldn't do better? Half of
LGBTQ plus teenagers last year seriously considered suicide with almost one in five attempting it,
much of it due to policies like the ones you voted in favor of. But it seems that your care for student
mental health stops when they're queer. Moving on Ms. Calhoun to your comments during discussion
at SB 763. You talk a lot about mental health. Yes, suicide is a leading cause of death in youth
and heavily caused by isolation, but do you know what isolates youth? Targeting them. The gender
The gender fluidity policy you voted to pass made me and many other students feel isolated in our own schools.
You took away the safe space provided by many teachers for many queer children just because their identity scares you.
So when you speak on mental health, Ms. Calhoun, your words mean nothing.
Last Monday, you insisted that we need the support of chaplains because we are a hopeless generation, ignoring that you have made students feel hopeless.
Hopelessness is when this board passed the gender fluidity policy.
Hopelessness is being less than three months into 2024 and there being almost
500 active anti-trans bills across the nation. Hopelessness, Ms. Calhoun, is when
I woke up last week to the news of 16 year old non-binary teen, Nex Benedict,
being brutally beaten by their bullies on the school bathroom floor in Oklahoma
and dying in the hospital the next day. So when you call our generation hopeless,
know that it is the hate in your and many others hearts that sucks the hope
out of ours. Hope is what I have knowing that one day this board, this country, and
this world will truly be safe and fair do not call us hopeless miss calhoun for all that has made us
hopeless is people that all we have lost hope in is people like you our district motto has always
been be the legacy so i urge you to let our trans kids live long enough to leave one thank you thank
you jamie smith jamie smith and then is jamie smith here jamie smith and then aubrey and mcgee
Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed educators and concerned citizens, today as the parent of
one current and one future student within KISD, it is with deep concern that I address
KDISD's proposal to allow unlicensed religious chaplains into our public schools, potentially
replacing qualified, trained, professional school counselors. Let me be clear, this decision
This decision poses a grave threat to the mental health and emotional stability of our students.
While I have heard proponents argue that chaplains could prevent school shootings, drug use, and suicide by reintroducing religion into classrooms,
the reality is far more complex and troubling.
First and foremost, allowing unlicensed individuals to provide mental health support in schools is a dangerous gamble with our children's well-being.
While school counselor training requires a master's degree and two years of in-class instruction, a chaplain's degree can be acquired in less than a week online.
Professional psychologists in a myriad of publications around this issue have aptly pointed out,
a chaplain lacks the training and expertise necessary to understand the intricacies of the human mind and the science behind effective counseling interventions.
This includes a lack of comprehensive understanding of mental health disorders,
disorders, their symptoms, and appropriate treatment approaches.
There's also a legitimate concern that chaplains may prioritize religious
agendas over the mental health needs of students. As we've seen in other contexts,
such as the National School Chaplains Association, which helped to craft
the bill around the legislation spurring this vote, there are
groups that see chaplains as a means to evangelize and spread religious beliefs
among impressionable young minds. And this is not only inappropriate,
but inevitably harmful. Moreover, allowing chaplains to counsel students without proper
oversight and qualifications, we risk exacerbating the already dire mental health crisis among our
youth. Issues such as anxiety, depression, and trauma cannot be simply prayed away or treated
as sins. Our children deserve evidence-based, scientifically grounded support that addresses
their psychological needs with care and expertise. Professional counselors are bound by
ethical guidelines and standards of practice designed to protect the welfare and confidentiality
of those they counsel.
Chaplains, if they lack that formal ethical training, may unknowingly breach those standards,
jeopardizing students' privacy and trust in the counseling process.
Equally troubling is the violation of children's religious freedom.
By granting chaplains unrestricted access to students without requiring them to omit
their religious beliefs the door is open to potential coercion and indoctrination
i urge kisd to consider incorporating parental consent as they have with book fairs public
speakers contents of our library to be incorporated into procedure as our community reflects on this
issue we must ask our thank you Aubrey McGee he followed by Victoria Reyes
Urtubia my name is Aubrey McGee he but I go by Zio and I am a lifelong kitty isd
student and a founding officer of the Tompkins sexuality and gender alliance
club I support the current resolution on chaplains because I believe there is
sufficient religious freedom in schools. Putting chaplains in schools will not
increase the religious freedom of our school communities. Students can already
pray and connect with God in schools. Prayer is a constitutional right. People
shouldn't be forced or pressured to pray when they are at school because that is
also their constitutional right. Students can wear religious clothing and
accessories at school. This allows students to be in control of the amount
of religion they experience instead of chaplains being forced onto them.
them. Religious groups can meet on school grounds and by law schools must give religious groups the
same access to school grounds as they do other groups that are not related to school curriculum.
Teachers can teach about religion as an academic objective subject. Teachers may not impose their
religious views on students because that would be a parent's right to go with what is best for
their child and of course the question before the KDISD board at the moment is whether it really
respects parents rights or just says it does when it's a matter of endorsing policies that support
the Christian nationalist agenda. Finally, students are allowed to express their faith in school.
They are free to talk about their faith with others, but they cannot harass others or disrupt
the classroom when exercising this freedom of speech. These liberties exist already and they
existed before groups like Moms for Liberty decided to form and use misinformation to make
people think that more needed to be done to put God in schools. Chaplains, should they wish, can
can reach out to willing students outside of school hours.
However, forcing chaplains onto unwilling students
will not help current issues
and will only breed more distrust
between students and administration,
including this board, should chaplains be implemented.
I repeat, there is sufficient religious liberty in schools.
Putting chaplains in a position of trust and authority
within our school is not needed.
It will not make our schools better.
It will not support parents' rights.
It will not do anything to enhance the ideals
upon which this nation was founded,
and the folks who support this certainly realize this or else they would not have
flocked to this meeting outs from outside of Katie ISD in a desperate
attempt to create the illusion of widespread widespread support I as a
student do not support the chaplain policy and I urge the board to accept
the proposal of not implementing a chaplain policy in the district thank
Thank you.
Victoria Reyes, followed by Matthew Holden.
My name is Victoria Belen Reyes Urtula,
and I urge the board to reject Senate Bill 763.
It is crucial to prioritize the protection of students
and their families from undue persuasion,
thereby preserving the integrity of educational institutions.
There are too few provisions in the law protecting students and their families
from unethical practices by individuals whose roles and qualifications aren't clearly defined.
The instruction of chaplains in schools for spiritual services not only lacks educational merit,
but also risks compromising the autonomy of individuals in forming their spiritual beliefs,
an aspect that should be a personal journey.
Bringing chaplains into our school to provide spiritual services does nothing to improve our education.
The Board's current stance on chaplains in school serves as a crucial foundation for securing a learning environment that upholds both educational excellence and individual autonomy in matters of spirituality.
Let us persist in preserving this resolution to ensure the continued protection of our students and their families.
Thank you. Matthew Holden followed by Andrea Richard.
Hello Board. It's an honor to speak in front of you. My name is Matthew Holden and I'm an
11th grader at Tompkins High School. I believe that it's ludicrous that this board is considering
adopting a chaplain policy. Why aren't you putting more effort into addressing
the teacher shortage, the bus driver shortage, the sloth that we get for meals,
the roadblocks that we face when trying to study for the subjects that we want,
the unfair emphasis on sports over fine arts, reducing class sizes, improving the
Wi-Fi, and all the things that will prove KDISD's overall academic performance.
There's so much that you could be doing, but you're not proving to me that you
are interested in how excellent my education is. What you're proving is that
that you don't care who gets hurt and whose education
suffers because of your Christian nationalist agenda.
The idea of a chaplain policy should have been dismissed
by this board as soon as the Senate Bill 763 was enacted
last September.
I think if the majority of the board
was serious about improving the educational experience
of students in this district, it would
have recognized the chaplain policy law as something that
would not improve academic standards one bit,
would not improve school safety one bit,
would not fix the problems that we have to deal whilst we're just trying to
learn and get ahead in life can you please focus on delivering excellent
public education and save your religion for your personal life we're all
counting on you please don't let us down thank you
Andrea Richard and then Lorena Garcia to superintendent Krakowski president Perez
and the members of the board, good evening.
I'm Andrea Walton Richard.
I am a Katy resident.
I'm a 30-year veteran educator,
and I'm also a member of the Katy Area Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
And I am here to speak against the utilization of chaplains as counselors in our school district.
Families and faith communities, not the government,
should direct the spiritual development of children.
When the Texas legislator passed SB 763 in May of 2023, allowing school districts to create chaplain programs,
they ignored the reality of religious diversity among public school students,
assumed a religious role that public schools do not have while threatening the religious liberty that is protected in public schools.
Children attend public schools to receive a tax-funded education and attend religious congregations of their family's choice for religious education and spiritual development,
a place supported by the tithes and offerings of the congregation.
Both the state and the church have an important role in a child's development, but they are not the same, nor should they be.
The fact that separation between the institutions of church and state is essential to both has been totally missed by the bill's author, Senator Mays Middleton, who posted online after it passed that the legislation would allow the important role chaplains serve for pastoral care and representing God's presence within our public schools.
Beyond concerns that chaplains in schools may cause discomfort to students with differing religious beliefs,
the Texas law's rock bottom qualifications to serve as a chaplain opens the door for potential abuse of authority
and puts vulnerable students already struggling with mental health challenges at greater risk.
risk. If KDISD is truly concerned with students' mental health, you should understand how this
action seems counterproductive to replace professional mental health counselors who
have undergone years of formal education with untrained and uncertified chaplains.
Let's understand that it's an important role of the district for both counselors and
chaplains to play within the community we ask that you vote against employing
chaplains as counselors thank you thank you
Marina Garza followed by Tracy Terry
Thank You board president superintendent school board members thank you for all
you guys do I was here last week and I heard the response of many parents that
that just maybe do not understand exactly what a school chaplain is or what a school chaplain does.
I'm here to speak on behalf of chaplains.
My name is Lorena Garza.
I've been a youth pastor for 20 years.
For 14 of those years, I've been the sponsor of United for Christ at Dickinson High School and the junior high schools.
I volunteer my time being one of the faith leaders.
I also attend church here in Brookshire, Believers World Outreach, and we have several KDISD students.
I'm also the director of chaplain affairs with the National School Chaplain Association.
We are the world's largest school chaplain provider.
We offer training recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
and certification to qualified individuals
who pass extensive international and domestic background checks,
including a forensic social media review.
I am glad that there are many families represented here
that they may not need or ever need a counselor or a chaplain,
but the chaplains are also there for where there is a family that is broken,
perhaps the child, the students being raised by their grandmother,
perhaps their parents are being incarcerated.
Those are some of the stories that I have heard
being at Dickinson High School.
Perhaps that being raised by people
that are trying to help them better themselves,
but they're still dealing with the hurt on the inside.
The Texas School Chaplains Act provides another means
for schools to deal with LPC shortages,
while in no way seeking to replace counselors.
Schools are facing a mental and health crisis
that has resulted in behavioral issues,
violence anxiety depression among students and teachers chaplains will
provide an extra tool for schools chaplains have improved teacher
retention school safety respect for authority self-respect and confidence
and openness to discuss personal and family issues they have decreased
bullying the discipline issues alcohol and drug consent consumption 37%
increase in high school graduations 80% reduction in teen pregnancies and where
Where there is a chaplain, there has been zero suicides.
I am telling you that who would not want that stuff here in their schools?
Spiritual care through chaplaincy has long been recognized as a specialized approach.
Let me tell you why I wanted to be a school chaplain after being a youth pastor for 20 years.
In 2018, after the Santa Fe shooting, I was not allowed to go into the school because I was not a chaplain.
But I saw the seven crosses.
I know what happened.
And afterwards, a year later, I went back to the school.
They had security doors and they had improved security.
And after a while during when it happened, the chaplains were there, but then they left.
But the pain was still there.
And so when I went a year later, you know, we're so big on preventative measures on the outside.
What about the hurt on the inside?
When was the last time you walked to school and saw a student that was crying?
Perhaps his friend died in his sleep.
That happened to me two weeks ago.
Perhaps another student, his grandmother died and he didn't know how to deal with that hurt.
a chaplain is just there to listen and to offer a helping thank you
Tracy Perry followed by David Olson thank you thank you thank you to the to
each and every one on Katie's board that are serving today I'm going to speak on
on behalf of chaplains of America,
that our children are in school pretty much half a day,
and that not only do they need help,
that our teachers need help.
So there are crises today that are going on in schools today
over across America that we don't have enough tools
and people to help.
You know, we want our children to go to church, not to church, but to go to school and know and feel that they're safe.
Not only do the children need help, counselors need help.
And some of the help that they're talking about today, it's just outside on the perimeter.
But the battle that's going on.
today is a spiritual battle and needs to be addressed by prayer. Prayer is an essential part
in school today. It's a foundation that was built. Our academia and institutes were built on prayer.
So today I'm asking you guys to really consider, you know, bringing chaplains into school
to help with prayer, to help with counseling, to help our children. We all have children. We want
We want to help our children, right?
Everybody wants to help their children.
We are residents of Cady.
We have kids in school, and we have grandkids.
So we want to be able to help them and give them tools that will help them succeed in life,
to be able to come to school and not feel afraid.
So I hope you guys strongly consider it.
Thank you, and have a God-blessed day.
Thank you.
Thank you.
David Olson, followed by Judy Olive.
Superintendent Gagorski, Board President Perez, KDIC Trustees, KDIC Administration.
My name is David Olsen. I've been a resident of KDIC for over 15 years.
My wife works for the district, and my two children have attended KDIC's entire public education.
One a class of 2022 graduate, and one currently a sophomore.
I'm here to speak regarding the decision the Board must make to comply with Senate Bill 763.
First, KDSD should not use funds to hire chaplains as counselors.
Funds should remain focused on the academic success of students.
Second is regarding the faith aspect.
And a little background about my faith journey.
I was baptized, confirmed, and raised in a Lutheran faith.
I married my Catholic wife in a Catholic ceremony.
We have raised our children in a Catholic faith.
When my mother passed away, I made a decision to convert to the Catholic faith.
I made this decision to avoid questions for my children on why dad didn't fully participate in the mass
This is a very personal decision to be part of the faith journey of my children from the first communion their first confession and confirmation
The one-page bill for the Texas legislator would require a district to compose a policy
They would have to have so many guardrails to address all the potential issues KSD would face
Well, I do not fear indoctrination or the other dog whistles. They're always called out here
I do fear a chaplain that would ignore a policy to promote their own agenda,
thereby interfering with parental involvement in the children's faith journey.
This bill and implementing a policy for chaplains may benefit some districts in the state,
especially more in rural areas that do not have access to the resources required to serve their students.
KDSD has access to those resources, and in a time of crisis, can utilize the resources in the greater Houston area.
area. As I support the gender fluidity policy enacted in August 2023 to keep parents rights
as a pillar in their children's education, I believe this issue of chaplains would also
impact parents rights in their children's education. I want to keep the journey of faith
within the family, their health of worship, and God. We all want what's best for our KISD
students. Today we see religion under attack, an upbringing of faith in the home in addition
to the academics provided by the district would solve many of the issues
confronting both teacher retention and our overall district. Our paths to
achieve these results may differ but we want to reach the same
destination. We can have a civil discussion on the issue, respect each
other's beliefs, and still disagree, a novel concept in today's political
climate. I would ask the KDSD board to vote at this time in favor of the
current resolution to decline chaplains as volunteer counselors. Thank you for
your time thank you Judy olive followed by Amanda Stambolis Stambolis good
evening everybody to dr. Gregor ski president Perez to the entire board until
all the administrative leaders first I want to start my statement by applauding
your conduct ation of this meeting tonight I've never been to a school
board meeting but I heard about this and I decided to come for my support my name
is Rosemary Judith Olive my nickname is Judy I'm a master's prepared advanced
practice nurse I have been inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau the International
Honor Society of Nurses. I've served as a nursing professor and academic and 47
years of nursing as well as a community volunteer for youth and families for
over 25 years. I live in Katy where hundreds of my neighbors are students
and attend the Katy School District. My brother Danny is a special needs school
bus driver. I also have 98 nieces and nephews. Today I would like to voice my
advocacy and support for the Katy School District to implement the chaplaincy
program. First it's my understanding that the legislature has recommended that you,
the Board of Trustees and the board, the school board are actually the ones
responsible for designing the structure the governance the role and the
responsibility of the chaplains in the school district as a person who I've
been a student and I mentor so many students who are going to become
professionals schooling is extremely important I heard on the video of the
the previous meeting a lot of opposition and I think there's a misunderstanding of the role of
chaplaincy. There's not supposed to be, chaplains are supposed to be generalists in the hospital.
Chaplains are part of the team. They help, they support, but they're not dictating their beliefs
on any people that they're serving in terms of no discrimination to race, color, religion, creed,
gender or any family structure and so I just support that you vote in favor of
chaplains and I think you can alleviate the fears that were expressed by
implementing the way you'd formulate the structure and the role and not to
replace counselors but to support your team with additional helpers and I find
as a nurse for all these years chaplains are extremely supportive we need them
and I think the school needs thank you thank you
Amanda Stamboulis followed by Karen Fontenot hello my name is Amanda
Stamboulis I have two children currently in Katy ISD I'd like to speak tonight in
favor of chaplains in school and I understand we already have counselors
but if one is good why not two why not have more options maybe this would be a
safe place for them maybe the children would feel more comfortable to open up
here and to talk they need more positive influences in their lives as they have
pressure from every side that can be that can be detrimental to them or
others they need support with mental health in times of crisis support from
love can help diffuse if not solve many of the issues they face with all the
negative influences out there why would we not make support available to our
children thank you thank you
Karen Fontenot followed by Clifford Height.
Good evening Mr. President and Mr. Superintendent. I am a resident of Harris County, Texas and KDISD
for the past 20 years.
I'm here to speak in support
of the proposed chaplaincy program.
I had the privilege of being employed
by a major independent energy company
in downtown Houston.
That I was excited to have the job,
but among the list of benefits, so forth,
they had chaplains,
and I'd never heard of that in a corporate setting.
As it turns out, I started the position and I was employed, unfortunately, not very long after my dear mother had departed this life.
But I went on to work and it could be a stressful position, but it required a great deal of concentration.
It wasn't laborious, but mentally taxing and so forth.
And I must say that having friendly, compassionate men and women to pop in the door with a kind greeting and ask how you're doing was beneficial in many ways.
The engagement was always voluntary, and if you chose to engage, you could be certain of the utmost confidentiality and respect.
For the chaplaincy to have benefited me and others who were well into adulthood and some
who were close to retirement age, imagine, I think it would exponentially be a great
help to the children.
Thank you and I ask you to vote in support.
Thank you very much.
Thank you
Clifford height followed by his whose combo
Thank you very much. Mr.. President superintendent board members and
Trustees I just want to share with you. I believe that we need to have chaplains in the schools out
Share with you my own experience when I grew up
My dad passed at a very young age. My mom had to get a job as a waitress. She had no education.
And she started work after 2 p.m. every day. So when my brothers and I came home, there was no mom at home.
And it was difficult. But in high school, I met Coach Gordon Forrester, who became a very positive influence in my life
through the fellowship of Christian athletes and he never promoted his
denomination his religion or you know his Christianity or anything like that
but yet he was there as a positive influence in my life and because of his
influence in my life I was the first one to not only graduate from high school
but also go on to college I became a teacher a bilingual education teacher a
counselor, administrator. After 35 years with Houston Independent School District,
I'm sorry, I graduated or I mean I retired, right? And you know while I was a
teacher I decided to have the same type of positive influence that Coach Gordon
Forrester had on me. And while I was an elementary school teacher they gave me
the students that were the most disciplined problems, the ones who were
scoring lower and they put them in my classroom well you know of course I was
just beginning so they you know give all the ones to the new guys like that but
because of my love and my support not only for the students but for their
families my students usually did much better and came out ahead and they came
out as English speaker even sooner than any other classrooms compared to my
students and that's because of the influence that I had on them and a lot
of them became successful in junior high and high school and graduated and went
on to college and I just wanted to share with you that it's important to have
somebody there that cares about you and coach Gordon Forrester was a dad I never
had he was the support that I never had he was the listening ear that I never
had he was the one that was there to support me and help me to become
successful and because of him I became a better student I became more respectful
of my teachers I became more respectful of my peers and and I believe because of
his influence in my life I was able to go on to college and do all the things
that I've done with my life so I believe you know and they're not we're the the
they're not here to replace the counselors because counselors are needed
they do their job they're here to support the counselors the
the administrators, the teachers, the parents, and everyone else who needs that help to help their students become successful.
Thank you very much.
Jesus Gamboa, followed by Ann Russey.
Good evening, Board of Trustees and Dr. Gagorski.
My name is Jesus Gamboa, and I've been living in the Katy area for almost 20 years.
and I'm here to speak in opposition of hiring chaplains and school counselors.
We know that the board will be voting on whether to make a chaplain policy soon.
The worst case scenario of bringing chaplains to KDIC schools to provide counseling
is something none of us want to imagine.
Chaplains are not qualified to provide mental health services
and could cause irreparable harm to students and families if they're allowed to do so.
Also, no one wants this scenario for anyone in our district, so please, as a board, ensure
it never happens.
Whatever form your policy takes, I ask you to be very clear that chaplains cannot be
allowed to provide counseling of any kind.
Just like any other unqualified volunteer, expanding the role of chaplains in our schools
is an experiment none of the students of Katy IAC deserves to be subjected to.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you.
Ann Russey followed by Shannon Peterson.
My name is Ann Russey.
I'm a mom to two KDIC students.
Under agenda item 7.15, I ask you to urge the district to delay or defer adopting the
EFB legal update until the district receives its next policy update, which should be in
May.
EFB legal included in policy update 122 refers to key parts of HB 900 that the Fifth Circuit
Court of Appeals has ruled are likely unconstitutional and are currently under injunction and unenforceable
due to the likely First Amendment violations they impose on the plaintiffs in the case.
In addition to considering the potential liability by the district if it adopts unconstitutional
legal policy, I'd invite the policy committee to use the time allotted to them under agenda
item 9.18 to share their thoughts on the district's implementation of board policy
EFB local it seems like district administrators continue to try and appease you
Mr. Perez, Ms. Calhoun and Ms.
Kizella by implementing internal procedures that they believe will satisfy you and protect their jobs and the jobs of their staff
Unfortunately for them and for all of us it seems pretty clear no matter what they do it won't ever be enough
The three of you have allowed one parent to bypass the board-approved formal reconsideration
process entirely, allowing her instead to email a list of at least 62 books that she
wants removed from all campuses.
The district is spending countless hours and dollars internally reviewing books like the
ABCs of Black History and Tango Makes Three, and this book is anti-racist, as a result
of these informal emailed complaints.
What is the point of having a formal reconsideration process or the power for
board members to publicly bring books they want removed before the entire
board for a vote if we aren't going to follow our own policy? Finally, I would
love to hear from the policy committee about any recent conversations you've
had with the district that might have led the district to implement radical
changes to the library book purchase order process. While I find it hard to
imagine that the district wants to require librarians to read every page of
every book they need to purchase or wants to expose staff to more bullying
and harassment by publicly posting campus names next to the purchase order
requests on the public dashboard, I suspect it is super likely that the
district could be caving to relentless pressure being applied by the policy
committee, which has repeatedly demonstrated antagonism towards
librarians and the right students have to read diverse and inclusive books. The
The board and our district can and should enforce existing board policy instead of skirting it
and should consider professional input from master's degree librarians in all decisions involving books
and potential infringements on students' First Amendment rights.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Shannon Peterson and then Dr. Nancy Sarsi.
Hello and thank you for letting me speak tonight. I appreciate it. My name is Shannon Peterson. I am a native resident of Katy, graduate of Taylor High School, parent of a Katy ISD student, and I am currently employed as a high school counselor.
I have been watching the board meetings intently the past few months and I appreciate the amount of community involvement this board has inspired
Regarding school chaplains. I've heard several of you state that you were not looking at SB 763 to hire chaplains to replace school counselors
However, this neglects the actual language of the law
SB 763 states notwithstanding
Subsections B and C or any other law a school district may employ a chaplain instead of a school counselor
to perform the duties required of a school counselor.
You have heard from community members, parents, and experts.
I would like to address the importance of the role of the school counselor
and the impact the role has on a school community.
I didn't get my master's degree in scheduling.
Of the 16 courses I took, only one was focused on career counseling.
The other 45 hours were devoted to psychology, mental health counseling,
ethics and a two semester practicum spending hundreds of hours learning from
experienced school counselors the fact that we continue to debate the merits of
hiring a school chaplain whether you add certifications and provisions in a
policy or not to replace a school counselors role is a slap in the face to
hundreds of school counselors the school district employees the discussions
around hiring a potentially uncertified and unlicensed position to handle the
one part of my job that I have the most education for tells me that some on this board hold little
value for my expertise and training. Do we not value having highly educated and credentialed
individuals working with our children? I have also heard this board debate the merits of having
a school chaplain for our teachers. I appreciate the discussion to improve the working conditions
of our teachers. I want to remind you that we do have an employee assistance program that all staff
have access to regardless of whether or not they have health insurance. School
counselors often remind employees of that. While my role prioritizes students,
I have found myself in numerous situations where I've helped staff
members through difficult life events, the loss of students, and the loss of a
co-worker. Our district has an employee, again we have an employee assistance
program. Many of the arguments that you hear for school chaplains are also
arguments for more school counselors we are there as a listening ear for our
students we are liaisons with parents that kind of bridge that gap between the
schools and connecting parents with resources we are the heart of your
schools we are often considered the customer service department for each of
your Katie ISD campuses we are the educated and certified support system
for students and families.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Dr. Nancy Sarsy, followed by Alexis Forsyth.
Good evening.
I am Dr. Nancy Sars, a resident of Katy and a mother of two.
I oppose the use of chaplains as counselors.
My position is informed by every aspect of my career,
a forensic psychologist law enforcement administrator professor and consultant
last week part of the discussion included a letter signed by 170
professional counselors some wondered why they might write such a letter it
feels to me as though it's twofold the primary goal seems to be to state
firmly the chaplains are not appropriate or qualified to work as counselors in
schools the second purpose seems more implied which is to uphold the standards
standards of their profession. A military chaplain, for instance, requires a graduate degree.
Sorry. In the Bureau of Prisons, you need a master's degree and two years of autonomous
experience as a religious leader in a house of worship. In contrast, the Texas law does not set
standards for chaplains, which opens the door to certified chaplains instead. The International
Fellowship of Chaplains offers a 40-hour certification program, which can be completed
online the National School Chaplains Association which is not affiliated with
or accredited by any professional chaplain organization offers
certification after only eight weeks online the organization is led by an
individual who staunchly supported this bill in Austin yet did not disclose that
his organization charges $3,000 for this online certification which strikes me as
a conflict of interest last week there was some mention of the National School
School Chaplains Association and their claims about the abilities of chaplains
to prevent violence and suicide, reduce teen pregnancy and dropout rates, and
prevent mentally ill episodes, a phrase I do not recognize. But I see no supporting
evidence with sound research methods or peer-reviewed publications in
professional journals. Not to mention eight weeks of online certification
simply does not qualify anyone to yield those kinds of results. Rather it seems
like hyperbole designed to solicit payment people to pay for their courses
counselors also need a graduate degree including two years of coursework
clinical training supervision and a capstone project plus in Texas you need
two years of classroom experience the resolution presented last week allows
for the continuation of the use of qualified counselors while permitting
chaplains to volunteer in accord with existing policies this maintains Katie
ISD standards of excellence, encourages a wide range of volunteer services and
programs, and best serves our students and communities. I'm for the resolution
presented last week. Thank you. Thank you.
Alexis Orsline. And after this speaker we'll move into the non-agenda
items and then the next speaker after this is Mason Seymour.
Hello, my name is Alexis Forsyth. I am a junior attending Cinco Ranch High School, and I will be speaking in favor of chaplains being integrated into KDISD schools.
It is no question that there is evil in this world, evil that is seeking to infiltrate our schools in the minds of our young men and women.
Whether that be pornography, sexualization, depression, anxiety, drugs, you name it, it is prevalent in our schools.
Parents, no matter how much you may try to protect your child's mind, as soon as they
walk into those doors at school, they are exposed to everything you could possibly imagine.
I can only speak from experience, and let me tell you, I have experienced this firsthand.
I myself, as so many others, fell victim to the evil that corrupts and destroys the innocence
of children.
My high school experience up until this year could only be described as hell.
It was emotionally traumatic and left scars that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
I can only imagine the momentous difference it would have made in my life to have that kind of support and guidance I needed by my side in school.
Someone who could speak truth and love into my life.
Someone who wasn't solely worried about what AP class I was taking next year or what college I should apply to.
Don't get me wrong. I think that counselors are helpful and necessary.
I know I had an amazing counselor who cared for me.
However, she could not guide me the way she knew I needed to be guided.
At the end of the day, her job was to worry about my grades.
The truth is, there's a spiritual battle going on in the lives of our youth.
We might not be able to see it, but we can feel it, and it is real.
I feel it in my spirit every time I step foot in school.
It is heavy.
Evil is fighting for our youth, but so is good.
So is God.
I know so many young men and women who are seeking God. They are seeking spiritual guidance that they otherwise may have no means of getting. There needs to be an outlet in school for people who are seeking God to be able to find him and have support in doing so.
I am not saying to force beliefs on anyone. I do not agree with that in any way.
I am only asking for there to be an option for those who are seeking and a
community for those who have found him. Thank you. I appreciate your time.
Thank you.
Mason Seymour.
I'd like to ask if, because we had a specific order we'd like to go up, is it okay?
Are you Mason Seymour?
Yes, sir.
Go ahead.
Okay.
And you are?
Joaquin?
Yes, my name is Joaquin Acevedo.
Okay, go ahead.
Hello, so as you know, my name is Joaquin Acevedo.
Hello to the board.
I am president and co-founder of Water Polo for All.
I'd like to introduce my co-founders, Mason Seymour and Matthew Lee over there.
Mason's vice president and Matthew is treasurer and we all attend high school and play water polo together at Strait Jesuit.
Our purpose at Water Polo for All is to raise money to sponsor athletes, allowing them to play in a club and enjoy the experience of playing water polo.
And I have, so just a little bit about me, I've been playing water polo for about a year and a half and ever since my first day of playing I knew that was my sport.
Water polo's challenging but rewarding nature is one of the main reasons I love to play and it's helped me to grow in athleticism and as a person.
As water polo's influence has spread not only in communities around us but the whole country,
there has been a large development of water polo clubs and competitive teams.
Clubs allow an athlete for the opportunity for regular practice and coaching,
and tournaments that will help build up athletes.
Currently in my school, we have a player who has the opportunity to play in the Olympic Development Team for USA Water Polo,
and introducing water polo into KDISD would help other players gain the opportunity to play at a higher level.
working with my teammates and growing into a more healthy lifestyle has
improved my life so much I have only my water polo experience to thank thank you
thank you Joaquin okay Mason Seymour
hello my name is Mason Seymour I'm the vice president and co-founder of water
polo for all I'm also a resident here in Katy I've recently learned how to play
water polo when I went to a summer program at my high school straight
I originally played basketball, but I didn't enjoy it.
But now that I'm in water polo, I have a sport I love to play.
I believe that everyone should be able to play water polo and gain access to scholarships.
For example, one of the goalies at my school obtained a scholarship to John Hopkins.
Sports such as water polo provide a competitive edge when applying to colleges
such as Ivy League and highly selective colleges.
colleges. Without these sports, students in KDISD are at a disadvantage without water polo.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you.
Matthew Lee, followed by Alexandria Gurbasi.
Hello, my name is Matthew Lee. I am treasurer of Water Polo for All. Introducing water polo
Water polo to your schools will provide just more than a sport.
It will provide students the concept of teamwork, physical fitness, and perseverance.
By engaging in the sport, these student athletes will practice essential life skills such as
communication, teamwork, and leadership.
This will allow the students to self-reflect on themselves and help them become more confident.
Water polo means friendship and quality time to me.
After school, me and my friends will practice together and have a great time.
Water polo has allowed me to meet new friends and have unique travel experiences.
I believe adding water polo to one school is sort of a benchmark on how expensive it
really costs.
Adding water polo to your schools will benefit more students than you think in the long run.
Thank you esteemed KDSD board members for listening to our speeches and I hope you consider
adding water polo to your schools to benefit your students.
Thank you.
Alexandria Gurbasi.
After that, Megan Daigle.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Alexandria Alvarez Gurbasi.
I am a wife, a mother, a proven business leader,
named Top 40 Under 40 by the Houston Business Journal, a resident of Katy,
Texas, a PTA member at my children's school. I've lived here for over 16 years
and I've also been in the anti-trafficking movement for nearly a
decade. This is our community and these are our children. I myself am a mother of
three with three children already in Katy ISD. The vision of Katy ISD is be
the legacy and like one of the gentlemen tonight mentioned if we don't train our children we're
not going to see them through to actually be a legacy so i'm here tonight to talk to the board
about implementing a curriculum to educate our children on what human trafficking is we've
already moved in that direction with the parents which is wonderful and i appreciate that but i'm
now saying step it down and trickle it down further to the children like we've done at the
the war on drugs, which this is an even bigger issue than the war on drugs.
We're talking about a $150 billion industry that is generating, that we see over 25 to
40 million people enslaved worldwide, more than has ever been in all of human history,
even when the drug trade was, even when the slave trade was legal.
We are now asking, like we've done on the war on drugs, we've done the Red Redmond campaign
which now brings it as a fun thing for the kids to dress up and bring it to PE.
And we're now talking to our children about drugs.
Even at the high schools, we see the fentanyl signs.
We're now talking about human trafficking,
which is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to bring people to labor or sex trafficking.
trafficking. And there's a curriculum that's already been developed called Bodies Are Not
Commodities by A21. I am in no means asking you guys to go out and fund it yourself. I'm
just asking you to do what Dallas ISD and other ISDs that are at the forefront of this
fight. One of our values here in KDISD is excellence. So I'm saying take that a higher
level in regard to the fight about ending human trafficking and implement this curriculum.
And I thank you guys for your time.
Thank you.
The next speaker will be Krish Badaga after Megan Daigle.
Good evening.
My name is Megan Daigle, and I have three children, all of whom are enrolled in KDISD schools.
I also love reading and want as many kids to fall in love with it the way that I have,
and so I'm a library clerk in a KDISD school.
And today I'm before you to ask that each of you think about the effect that book policies,
which are being led by the fear of indoctrination, which means to teach a person or group to
accept a set of beliefs uncritically, is having on our students.
You see, I believe we all want the next generation to acquire higher level thinking, which is
fostered through teaching which requires a diverse collection of literature and reading material.
Yet I firmly believe all the back and forth about indoctrination essentially taking the
task of determining which books are and aren't allowed in our libraries from our librarians
and effectively placing holds on ordering books has caused our students to suffer from not having
an ever-expanding collection to choose from with very few new books making it onto shelves right
now see when I say new books it isn't about replacing old or ruined copies or
a book that's new to X school though even that has become exceedingly
difficult due to the policies it's about books recently published that can't be
purchased unless a librarian reads it cover to cover and they're not so spare
time it's about books that haven't always been super popular or were
overlooked for whatever reason but they would expand the representation of a
collection and so students for whatever reason quit reading which in turn
affects their education all of this stemming from a fear of indoctrination
the definition I gave for indoctrination earlier uses a very important word
uncritically teaching requires opinions points of view and principles to be
taught because our language requires principles history is full of relaying
information which sometimes brings up opinions like Hitler's and even science brings all of
those up at times. However teaching done by any educator worth their salt is missing the piece
that matters to indoctrination not questioning what you were taught. The educators we all have
all come to know and love including many of the ones that I love for my students all encourage
questions. They want and are aiming for students to reach for the stars by having them ask
question after question. But questions don't come when all you read mirrors
what you know. Questions only arise from exposure to religions, thoughts,
personalities, ethnicities, and so much more that are different from one's own. I
implore you all to lift the book order stifling and essentially book banning
policies. Let our librarians do their jobs of ordering books guided by
by well-known and well-trusted reviews
to engage all our diverse readers
and leave the decision of what is or isn't allowed up
to parents.
It's up to parents, not the public education system,
to have conversations and to set limits with their own students.
Thank you.
you. Chris Vadaga and after that Priyambada Jedithi. Namaste, Honorable KDIC Superintendent,
President and members of the board. My name is Chris Vadaga and I'm an eighth grader at CRJH.
I want to reflect upon 2023 and show my gratitude to my school for supporting me in a community event.
From October to December, I conducted the Seva Diwali Food Drive at my school and neighborhood.
The Seva Diwali Food Drive is a joint initiative by numerous organizations across America.
Hindu Swam Seva Sangh, a non-profit organization, spearheaded this effort.
As you may know, Diwali is the Hindu festival which signifies victory of light over darkness and the spreading of happiness amongst everyone.
This was my fourth year participating in this food drive and I took this as an opportunity to engage my school, Sinkaranch Junior High.
When I expressed my passion to serve the community via this food drive to my principal, she was more than happy to help.
I cannot thank her enough for supporting me throughout. She facilitated morning announcements
every day for the full duration of the drive and allowed me to hang flyers everywhere in my school.
Many of the students were interested knowing that one of the beneficiaries was Kids Meals Inc. which
makes and delivers free healthy meals directly to the homes of hungry children. Also as a president
As president of chess club, I reached out to students outside of my grade level and as a result CRJH raised an amazing 100 pounds.
Vasudeva Kutumbakam, the world is one family.
Seva Diwali extends this thought by connecting people while raising food.
In my neighborhood, I conducted a door to door campaign by creating a team of a dozen kids.
And we raised 600 pounds in our subdivision.
HSS USA collected over 4,500 pounds from such efforts in the Katy, Cyprus, and Fulshire areas.
It was distributed to the local charities like Kids Meals Inc., Cyprus Assistance Ministries, Family Hope Fulshire, and Houston Food Bank.
I am thankful to my school for supporting my cultural beliefs while promoting the importance of civic responsibility.
I hope students like me can do the Seva Diwali food drive in their respective schools each year.
As we move forward, let's continue to embrace the spirit of Seva Diwali.
Our small acts of kindness can create an everlasting positive effect. Thank you. Thank you.
Priyambala Jadithi
After that, Ajashwi Chavan.
Good evening, honorable KDISD superintendent, president, and board members.
My name is Priya, an eighth grader at McMeans Junior High.
The word yoga comes from Sanskrit.
It means union.
Yoga is a practice that connects the body, breath, and mind.
It uses physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation to improve overall health.
Yoga was developed as a spiritual practice 2,500 years ago in India.
Most people around the world perform yoga to reduce stress and promote better self-care.
Today, I would like to talk about SNY, Suri Namaskar Yajna, or Health for Humanity Yogadhan.
As a volunteer at Hinduswayamsevak Sangh , I had the opportunity to participate in a community drive called Suri Namaskar Yajna,
or Health for Humanity Yogatown, where KD chapters of HSS USA conducted free yoga events in the neighborhoods
to raise awareness about healthy living through yoga.
And it's a project by HSS where free yoga events are conducted in local neighborhoods and schools,
engaging the community to come together.
As a participant in the Surya Namaskar Yajna, I was pleased to be part of the event.
It benefited my health and helped me concentrate.
I spread the word by sending flyers and posters.
I also asked my friends to do Surya Namaskar with me. That motivated me to continue doing the activity.
I'm proud to have helped my neighbor and community. Thank you.
Thank you.
And our last speaker tonight is Ajashwi Chavan.
Chavan. Chavan? Chavan.
Go ahead.
Good evening, honorable KTISD superintendent, president, and board members.
My name is Ojasvi and I am a freshman at Tompkins High School.
Thank you Priya for the wonderful introduction to Surya Namaskar Yajna.
The main objective of SNY is to serve the community by promoting the yogic methods for reducing stress.
In simple, Yajna means a joint effort for collective good and bringing the community together.
Surya Namaskar is a yogic practice done in reverence to the sun.
Research shows several physiological and psychological benefits from Surya Namaskar when practiced regularly.
They are performed as a series of 10 physical postures flowing in a graceful continuous sequence.
Surya Namaskar is a complete exercise for muscles, joints of the body.
When practiced regularly, it tones the body and reduces fat, helps control obesity and metabolism.
Participating in this yagna helped me a lot by increasing my flexibility and my aptitude.
HSS USA this year conducted the Surya Namaskar Yogathon in the KT City Library where I volunteered to promote the message.
As a KTISG student, I encourage all to volunteer and promote civic responsibilities.
Students can gain benefits from yoga to reduce their stress.
I believe by conducting such yoga events in school will benefit all students.
Thank you.
Thank you.
This concludes the open forum portion of our meeting.
The Board will now convene and close meeting as authorized under Section 551.001 of the
5. Closed Meeting
Texas Government Code for the following purposes.
Texas Government Code 551.071, 551.074, and 551.129.
Thank you all.
6. Reconvene from Closed Meeting
the board will now reconvene an open meeting today is monday february 26 2024 and the time is 8 17 pm
on behalf of my colleagues i welcome everyone to this evening's regular board meeting
each board member received the agenda and documentation for this meeting on friday
February 23rd, 2024. The Board will receive information and recommendations from staff,
administration, and the Superintendent on these intended items at tonight's meeting.
Board members will be able to ask questions, receive answers, and should be prepared to take
action. The Board has just reconvened from closed meeting. In accordance with Chapter
Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code, any action arising from discussions in the closed meeting must be taken in an open meeting.
Item 6.1 is to consider board approval for employees who are being recommended to receive administrative, probationary, administrative term, staff member probationary, and staff member term contracts.
Mr. President, we'll now entertain a motion for this item.
Mr. President, Redmond.
I move that the Board of Trustees approve for employees who are being recommended to
receive administrative probationary, administrative term, staff member probationary, and staff
member term contracts.
Do I have a second?
Second.
It is moved and seconded that the Board of Trustees approve for employees who are being
recommended to receive administrative probationary administrative term staff
member probationary and staff member term contracts will not proceed to vote
board members please record your vote on the screen via your keypad the board is
7-0 and the motion carries we will now move on to the consent agenda the
7. Consent items
consent agenda includes items that were discussed and considered at the previous
work study board meeting as well as items of a recurring nature the board
shall be furnished with background material for each item consent agenda
items shall be grouped together into one action item all items shall be acted
upon by one vote without separate discussion unless a board member requests
that an item be withdrawn for individual consideration this is per be illegal and
be local board members are there any items are there any questions or are
there any items you would like to remove from the consent agenda I will now
entertain a motion on the consent agenda mr. president I move that the Board of
Trustees approves the consent agenda for item 7.1 through 7.2 one is there a
second second it is moved and seconded the board trustees approves the consent
agenda for item 7.1 through 7.2 one will not proceed to vote vote by pressing
your keypad
will not proceed to vote
The vote is 7-0.
The consent agenda is approved.
We will now proceed to the discussion item, 8.1,
8.1 Discuss and consider Katy Independent School District Resolution regarding employing or accepting as volunteers chaplains.
which is discuss and consider
Katy Independent School District resolution
regarding employing or accepting as volunteers
here as chaplains. Last week we had a, I pulled this out of the consent agenda because it became
obvious to me that it likely would not, we didn't have a, if you will, unanimous agreement, if you
will, on the resolution. And so therefore it needed to be pulled out. And we had a pretty
robust discussion on the merits or lack thereof or what have you on the
resolution which is the resolution as it reads is to decline accepting as
employees or as to employ chaplains or as volunteers and at this time I think
what we'll do is just open it up for any additional comments or from any of the
the trustees.
If not, if not.
Mr. President.
Go ahead, Ms. Teamey.
Okay, so I am in favor of this, and I'll tell you why.
I was talking.
You're in favor of chaplains.
I'm in favor of chaplains.
I'm not in favor.
So it's weird.
I have to vote no in order to vote yes.
So, I grew up here and I taught here and I was sharing with the community and other teachers that I taught with and teachers that are just simply my friends.
And I was speaking with them about this and just we were reminiscing, you know, our time in the classroom as students and teachers.
and I my last year at Katie high school I was I had students that had never
passed math before never they didn't know nine times two okay then I had to
take those students from not knowing basic math facts to passing the algebra
one end of year exam now Katie ISD was amazing set me up for success I had
those students twice a day instead of once and but it was stressful i i'm not gonna lie it was
a really hard year um i felt the weight of those kids on my shoulders and i didn't want to let them
down i didn't want to let mr hasket down um my student taught along with mrs hasket and i just
I just wanted to do a good job.
And when I quickly realized that my kids hated math,
they never felt successful, I had to take a few steps back
and I had to become a chaplain for them.
I never once shared my faith in an inappropriate way.
I never once talked about what my religious beliefs were,
but I did do a lot of listening.
I did do a lot of tailoring my lessons to something that they were dealing with or familiar with so that it would gain their interest.
I did a lot of that.
I had a great, great mentor teacher, Stacy Skinner.
She was unbelievable to me and taught me a lot about how to write a good test and how to write a good lesson.
But you know what?
My friends were the ones that were like, Amy, you were so successful that year because you were acting as a chaplain.
So that's why I know KDISD, we can do this.
We can write smart policy that protects our kids, doesn't indoctrinate them, doesn't expose them to things that parents won't want.
We can respect parents' wishes.
We can do all of the things.
But the problem is we don't have two courses of algebra.
Not every student get that.
I had the time because I saw my students twice a day.
Most teachers don't.
And they just are overworked.
They're overworked.
The expectations are really high.
The special ed needs are really high.
They have so many demands.
And I think this is a way we can help them enjoy their jobs more and be more successful.
At the end of the year, my instructional specialist told me, Cindy Schimmick,
that I had the highest percentage passage rate on the algebra one year end of exam in the entire
district. Okay. And I had kids that had never passed math before. So I'm not saying that to
say I am toot my horn. That is not my heart at all. My heart is the kids. And if I was not able
to act as a chaplain for them, respecting their religious differences are there,
then I wouldn't have been successful.
And so I know we can do this,
and I'm thankful that I took the risk and did that that year
because my kids benefited, my students benefited,
and I still stay in touch with them today.
A lot of them really like math now.
And it was mainly because it was one of the first subjects
they realized they could do.
And so I implore our board to please allow us the right
to just investigate.
If we can't write a policy that protects our kids and protects our school district, then we won't.
We will come to the board and we'll come to the public and we'll say we can't do it.
But I at least want to ask that we would try.
And then, you know what?
One other thing.
I was speaking with a friend and we her daughter is a senior at one of our high schools.
And she had to take her out because her counselor just didn't have time to speak with her.
And that's no knock on the counselor.
the counselors are way overburdened i get it but she was contemplating suicide and she took her out
of katie schools because there was no one for her to talk to she's a single mom and we failed her
and that that is this that is this semester that this happened so that breaks my heart because
that's not the katie that i went to school in and that's not the katie that i taught in
Thank you, Ms. Teamey. Any other comments? Mr. President, I appreciated very much everyone
who came to speak in favor of chaplains this evening and everything they said we can do in
KDISD the way we do now because it doesn't have to be a certified chaplain. We need mentors.
We need mentors, fatherless homes, we need men mentors.
And Mrs. Timi describes that she was a chaplain,
but not a chaplain because not certified as a chaplain,
what you were was a mentor, an amazing mentor.
And we have the Keys Mentor Program,
which is second to none in Texas schools.
And as a mentor since 2004,
taken a couple of years off here and there,
but it we do impact students lives through mentors and we can bring mentors their guidelines there
and i think that we can still accomplish all the things that chaplains would do
through the systems that are already in place and i'm very sad to hear about the daughter
the girl who was taken out because if only she would have had a mentor it does all the things
It improves attendance.
It improves grades.
It brings up morale.
It changes a countenance of a student who has someone who believes in them and just there because you matter.
And that's what mentors do.
And I believe that the policies and practices that we currently have serve our students in the same way that a chaplain policy per se would.
And my concern about adopting or to vote to consider it and try to make a policy is the law does not allow us to keep out certain sects, sects, S-E-C-T-S, creed, I think you called it, Mrs. Cuzela.
and there are dark creeds that don't belong in our schools.
And so it won't be the religion that families or the faith that families embrace in their homes.
You wouldn't be able to guarantee what faith, what beliefs.
And I think that's a parent's right, is to teach the faith they want in their homes.
And for those unchurched boys and girls, the counselors have avenues of where to point them.
And then, you know, other kids and some of those mentors, I think, can do that as well.
What dark religions would you want to prevent from getting in?
Satanist, Wiccans.
Is that it?
I mean, I could name a whole bunch more.
Okay.
Could you help me?
No.
Oh, okay. Just, it's not going to be the faith that I have in my home, and so that would be difficult, right?
And there are Jewish, Buddhist, Islam, all the ones, and each one of those have their place in the homes of the people.
That's their chosen faith, and I don't think any of them would want, you know, a Baptist or a Methodist or a Protestant to come and talk to their children and any sort of confusion that might come from that.
That's what I heard since we met is leave our faith in our homes.
That's the parents' rights to choose.
It doesn't belong in school.
School is for academics.
Thank you.
Other comments?
I have one.
Go ahead, Ms. Kattelman.
So I graduated in 2005 from Katy High School, and I know that makes me a young'un in this room.
I'm well aware of that.
that. But I had a really, really hard time in high school. And I can relate to one of
the presenters. I struggled. And I'm not, I was not what I present today as a 37-year-old
woman with three children and a happy marriage and well established well adjusted that was hard
fought um that was hard earned and when i was in high school struggling with a lot of the things
that i was going through i would have been one of those kids that would have benefited from a chaplain
one by a great deal.
And I did see a counselor.
I did see a counselor, and the counselor is not a therapist.
And although that counselor at the time, I'm sure she meant well, didn't help.
And I struggled through high school until I graduated.
and when I look at the state at which our youth is in today and again I will
reiterate I do not view today's youth as hopeless I view these circumstances in
which they are faced as could be seen as hopeless I can understand why they would
would feel that way.
And to inject hope into that, I think, is our responsibility.
And I look at this, and I listen to the people
that were talking tonight, and it
struck me that there is a desperate need
for that kind of hope.
and I am again not advocating for a fly-by-night you just got this because
you felt like it was something cool to do and you spent an hour on the computer
and said you wanted to get it like a marriage you know somebody who doesn't
online officiant someone I'm looking for but I feel like that we had evidence and
we had plenty of people who stood up here and were more than willing to give
THEIR QUALIFICATIONS.
as well as their tenure of how they have serviced people,
I think that this is something that we can do.
And this takes bold leadership.
And this board has shown bold leadership.
And I just don't like the idea that we're turning away from something
that is an opportunity to serve needs that are pretty great right now.
because of fear um i don't think that that's helpful um i think that working through things and
doing our due diligence and really pursuing this
i think that this could benefit um our district our campus our faculty and our students in a
major way that they need right now. And I am not under any disillusion or I'm not under, I'm sorry,
I'm not under any guys that were somehow going to keep God out of school. That's hilarious.
So even if a Satanist were to try to come through here because of what I believe and where my faith
is I do not believe for one second that any man-made power can keep a creator
God out of a building that's not how that works so I am going to vote no to
vote yes and I am proud to do so and I would hope that my other board members
would join us in this because I know that we are capable I know that we have
have the ability to lead forward in a way that our community and that our state needs.
And this is a step forward in that direction.
So that's all the comments I got.
That's it.
Mr. President.
Ms. Champagne.
First of all, I'd like to commend you, Mrs. Timmy, for helping your students like that
and to providing the mentorship that they needed.
But I also believe that many, many teachers are doing the same thing.
And although I'm so happy for you to have done that,
and especially for the children that were in your class,
I know that that's going on throughout the years
and at many, many different campuses without chaplains.
And a lot of the people on this board have expressed a desire
to keep parental involvement at the forefront.
front so when we talk about you know mrs calhoun had issues when she was a teenager i mean many
teenagers do but it's up to the parents to provide the necessary avenues for them to get help or you
know a lot of times yes the counselors are overwhelmed but the counselors can provide
resources and such but also um i just want to let everyone know i actually called the national
school chaplains association today and there were some people there speaking on their behalf
and everyone who works there and all the chaplains that they have are all christians
and i asked the question about how to how about writing a um a policy they provide um the script
for the policy and i asked could we make it in because someone can make it into a christian
all Christian, only Christians chaplains. They said yes, that they, you know, people do that.
So we could have a policy, and we have a policy committee that I'm not on,
and we've seen in the past that sometimes policies get written, and not, you know, some of us don't
have anything to do with the policy, and so there's a fear of mine that that could happen,
even though we're told it won't happen.
Also, it was mentioned that there's over 30,000 schools that have these chaplains,
but that's in 23 countries, so that's not just 30,000 schools in this country.
I mean, there's over 1,000 school districts in Texas,
and I would imagine, let's say there's 5 schools, that's 5,000 schools just in this one state at least.
I don't know how many, 10,000 maybe.
So although 30,000 sounds like a big number, it's throughout the whole world.
You know, it's not just, it's not just.
Then I asked about how did, you know, the numbers that Mrs. Teeny presented last year,
I mean last year, last week, I asked about those numbers.
And I said, how do you know that, for example, there's 80% reduction in teenage pregnancy from, you know,
from using chaplains?
chaplains and they said that they compare, they do two years, so like you've had chaplains
for two years, they'll compare the numbers between, you know, before two years ago to
now.
And that's all they do.
So I mean there's other factors that could contribute to why there's lower pregnancy
rate, lower suicide rate.
There's other things.
It's not just chaplains.
Also, the last thing I want to say is not every religious person is a good person.
I've been in a church before where two people had to lose their pastoral licenses for things that they shouldn't have been doing.
So just because you're a chaplain doesn't necessarily mean that you're a great person.
And you could blindly, a parent could blindly be signing up to let their child talk to a
chaplain and it may not be a good person just because they say they're a chaplain.
That's all I have to say about that.
I guess I'll go ahead and chime in a little bit.
Last week I voiced my opposition to bringing in chaplains.
In other words, to approve the resolution as presented.
And I think I'm being consistent in terms of my thinking.
As someone with conservative values, I believe I'm being consistent in my position, i.e.
the same position regarding parental rights, parental authority, parental involvement
that I voiced that was so critical with regard to the gender fluidity issues.
In other words, not keeping secrets from parents and
making sure that we disclose everything to parents.
Cuz they're the number one players and partners that need to look out for
their kids.
So as I stated before, spiritual formation and religious training are the
responsibility of parents and their churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, as
the parents write and we cannot expect the schools to take over parenting and I
want to make sure that the parents are not in any way a step behind or removed
from from what's going on with their child to school where they may be
potentially we may be potentially unintended consequences placing an adult
adult that establishes a private relationship or private conversations with a child.
And I keep focusing on the fact that our role is to educate, reading, writing, math, and
science, etc. and KDISD does a good job of this.
We can do better and we shouldn't take our eye off the ball.
We need to stick to our mission to educate children.
children. The concept of chaplain sounds great, but I don't think it's practical in a diverse
school district with 95,000 students. And I do want to say something. I do want to distance
myself from those who have spoken out in open forum or on social media against chaplains
that routinely call me and some on the board Christian nationalists and are either anti-religion
or are against chaplains on the basis that somehow this is nothing but a nefarious Christian plot
to shove Christianity down everyone's throat.
I don't believe that for a moment, and I don't believe that anyone's,
and anyone that I know, that that's their intent whatsoever.
So I just wanted to add that.
I'm distancing myself from those who have spoken out against chaplains
on the basis of this, you know, that the board is, myself and the board, et cetera,
that we're Christian nationalists, that others are Christian nationalists,
and that there's nothing but a nefarious plot, Christian plot,
to convert everybody and to shove Christianity down everybody's throat.
I reject that totally.
Any other comments from anyone?
Mr. President?
Go ahead, Ms. Zella.
Okay, thank you.
I don't want to be too repetitive. I think all of us here want the very best. We understand there's a need to fulfill for the youth and their well-being. I think, I'll speak for myself, I believe, most of us also believe more God in schools would be a positive effect for kids.
But again, I feel the parent, much like what Victor had mentioned, that faith formation and development belongs in the hands of the parent and at the home.
And in that absence, yes, some kids do not have a good home life, a consistent parenting.
Certainly realize that and accept that.
But my hope is that energy around that would then be fed into our mentoring programs that are already in existence in our district.
Ms. Fox mentioned some of them.
I would invite all chaplains to be a part of the Keys Mentor Program.
That would be wonderful if you could help feed that program and other volunteer opportunities
we have on all of our campuses.
That would be most wonderful.
I just see the risks involved in a public school system with a diverse school district
to write a policy.
I don't see the legal feasibility there of, you know, yes, these, no, those.
That is a tricky situation, and we become a game of whack-a-mole.
And to write a policy that way would not be a good policy.
So I'm hoping that we can think through the ways we could use chaplains as official volunteers on campus in the mentoring program.
And I'd also like to ask if it's feasible to add
Chaplains to our resource guide. Maybe that's something we could look at
We have a resource guide for the district that counselors use and anyone can access it right now
For anyone who needs help outside of school
And maybe we could have a section there for chaplains
So I am for the resolution as it is written right now
Thank you.
I just wanted to add one quick thing and that is that I think with this issue, people which
have similar values and beliefs can have legitimate differences of opinion on this issue.
I really feel that way.
Mr. President?
Mr. Redmond?
I think part of the confusion with this is that, one, we're just voting on a statement,
not an actual policy.
So how this would actually look in day-to-day classroom or the hallways, can't really say because it doesn't, right?
I mean, it's not policy, right?
So all the details that people are what-ifs and whatnot aren't really laid out.
That being said, personally, I'm for chaplains.
I take profits out of my own pocket every month and pay for chaplains to come to my company and provide spiritual care for my employees.
And it's been great.
I believe the volunteer chaplains would be great for our schools.
But again, we're not looking at an actual policy.
So if we had a policy that laid out all the details of what that looks like and what their qualifications were and where were they allowed to go and what kind of authority would they have and all the questions that are going through everybody's mind, I think that'd be something worth voting on.
i know we have to vote on this tonight um and i'll support this resolution but um you know in the
future people were concerned what would this board do i think if we actually had a policy to look at
and pick apart and um actually discuss i think that would uh hopefully raise the level of our
our conversation with our community and ourselves so thank you thank you any other comments
I will now entertain a motion for this item.
Mr. President?
Go ahead.
I move that the Board of Trustees approves of the KDISD district resolution regarding employing or accepting as volunteers chaplains.
Do I have a second?
Second.
We will now proceed to vote.
Board members please record your vote on the screen via your keypad.
The motion is carried 5-2.
The motion is adopted.
9.1 Board Committee Updates
We move on to 9.1 which is information items.
items. And so what we have here is some Board Committee updates and I'll go ahead and start
it with talking about the, first of all the Finance Committee, just some quick updates
on the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee, which is myself and Ms. Teamee and Ms. Champagne,
meets every month prior to their work study meeting with Dr. Gorgorski and Mr. Smith and his staff.
And we've been doing that every month.
And oftentimes what we do mostly is go through the presentations that Mr. Smith and his staff are going to be making during that regular work study meeting.
But also, for example, when we met last month, we went over the audit, which was presented
later to the board.
And then also we met with the advisors to the district on the debt and the issuance
of the debt, the initial issuance of debt related to the 2023 bond.
So that is basically in a nutshell what the Finance Committee has been doing.
We will definitely, over the next, the fact that we have a meeting next week,
over the next couple of months or so, the focus is going to be on the budget.
To take an early look at the budget and be able to drill down on the presentations
that the board is going to see in the regular board meetings and the work-study meetings.
So that's really on the finance committee.
And then I'll let Ms. Teamey, if you want to go ahead and update us on the –
we have a teacher retention committee, which is basically an ad hoc temporary committee,
to meet with the superintendent and his staff
and look for ways to improve retention and job satisfaction of teachers.
Okay, thank you, Mr. President.
So on that committee is myself, President Perez, and Trustee Ms. Cuzzella.
And we have met multiple times with Dr. Grigorski and with Mr. Shush.
We are just in a gathering data and information stage.
Some of the topics we've discussed are teacher retainment and recruitment strategies.
We've looked at insurance offerings for our employees.
We've looked at teacher pay and how that is organized.
And then we're also looking at discipline.
That's just what we've done so far.
We have several more meetings.
In fact, one scheduled for tomorrow.
tomorrow. And we don't have any recommendations to bring to the board yet for us to act on,
but we are continuing to meet and we have more meetings coming up and we look forward to
bringing some action items to the board for your review. Thank you, Mr. President.
thank you thank you uh miss gizella if you would uh provide an update on the um on the
policy committee yes thank you um president perez uh the policy committee does not meet
um regularly we meet usually ad hoc so uh we haven't had a lot of new policy updates um
except for cw which was on the agenda for tonight so we did meet um uh february 2nd
was when it was, one time, to discuss that.
We've also exchanged and took care of CW over email after that meeting.
In the meeting, we also did get a status check on EFB and how that is going
and discussed a few things there.
So Morgan Calhoun is also on the policy committee together with myself
and Mr. President Perez.
is. That's all I have. Mr. Redmond, I don't know if you want to. Sure. The Academic Performance
Committee has not met since we gave the last update. Our next meeting is scheduled for the
first week of April. And so we should have all received our one pager update with the new raw
data. So any report you can dig as deep as you want, as well as have those recommendations from
from what our staff is looking at and how they're making decisions and driving those
changes and encouragement that's happening on our campuses.
Thank you.
Mr. President, I have a couple of questions.
So how often does the Finance Committee meet?
Monthly.
Monthly.
Okay.
Just before a board meeting usually?
Typically the week of a work study meeting, the week before.
And who do you meet with?
Who else in your meeting?
As I mentioned, with Dr. Gorski, Mr. Smith, and his staff.
And sometimes it may be an outsider included, such as the auditors or the financial advisors
to the district.
Is that a cost to our district to bring them in?
They're...
They don't live in Katy, do they?
No, but they don't charge us.
mileage for our travel expenses.
Okay.
Okay.
And the teacher retention committee, how often are you all meeting?
We were meeting, I'm sorry.
We've been meeting twice a month.
Okay.
So that's three meetings a month with our executive staff.
That's a lot of time for them.
I just wonder if that's do you see it getting?
Less or rolled out more or how long are your meetings?
Well, first of all, there are different people for example, it's finance different people
Each here is going to be HR and dr. Gorski and anyone else that they want to bring in for that particular topic
Academic committee young we made it with executive staff once a quarter
Once a quarter.
We meet with the executive staff once a quarter, too.
So it's just the people sitting around this room.
That's a lot of time.
Well, I would remind you, too, that it's good to give.
Since we represent the community and the people,
it's good for us to know what's going on
so that we can communicate it to the community.
And if there's changes that need to be made based off
the community wants and desires, that's how that works.
like we we are communicating back and forth so that our district does
represent the voice of the people because it's our it's the people that
have our funding our our school district so so when three people are giving
direction to the executive staff without everyone on this day is knowing what
you're doing so that means that okay well I don't think you're questioning
we're giving committee reports which you're questioning the need for the
committees no no i'm not questioning the need i think the committees are a good idea because
the committees are intended to allow the board to really carry out as much as possible it's
oversight responsibility you know over over finance and look at academics and the policy
and all that kind of stuff and also get more board members engaged in in in some of these areas than
than just the board meetings.
I understand that with new board members,
it takes some time to understand it all.
It's very complex. We're huge.
It's got nothing to do with new board members.
Well, it has to be.
Why are you meeting twice a month or once a month?
Because the teacher retention committee is a temporary committee.
It's not about dragging this out.
It's about having a couple of meetings where we hit some topics,
and then we schedule the next month,
and what are the topics we're going to schedule for those two meetings.
The reason I ask, I mean Mr. Redman of course suggested it a few months ago, but asked to have this on the agenda is just like what are the committees doing?
Who are they meeting with?
What are you learning?
Because when I was asking questions of our auditor, whoever that was the other night, someone here was answering the questions because you had knowledge that I didn't have.
And so I don't disagree with the committees.
What I'm wondering is how much information are you getting?
How much information are you giving?
And there's three of you.
How do we know what's happening in that?
And I think this board, through a transparency process, like we are a body corporate.
So three people giving direction to administrative staff, Dr. Gorgorski and his executives, is not how a school board operates.
rates. Understanding and getting the information, I understand that. I just want to make sure
that there's not a lot of drain on their time when they're quite busy running the huge district
and that you're not giving directives that we don't know about.
We don't have, these committees are advisory. It's doing homework. It's not directing. We're
not approving anything. We don't have that authority to approve a policy, for example.
Okay, may I ask a question about the Teacher Retention Committee, which, of course, I'm very interested in that as well.
When you find out about, you said you talked about insurance and pay.
What kinds of things did you, what kind of came from that?
It's, like I said in my report, it's just information gathering.
We haven't made any, we haven't even discussed what we discussed.
us. We just listen, we absorb, we take notes, and that's all we've done. Honestly, that's all we've
done. Okay, but more than when the presentation comes here for insurance? We're able to ask more
questions. Yes, we're able to ask more questions. Yeah. Okay. Would those questions be better asked
in public so that our public knows the questions we're asking in a transparency? You know, I ask
questions here to make sure that our community knows the kinds of things that
happen in this complex place because they don't and I I would like to know
what questions are asking and what other possibilities there are I'm interested
in that too so I just wanted to have an idea of what's happening you're not in
the committee we can't tell you what all questions we're asking because we're
not you're not there well for us to repeat exactly what questions we asked
but basically we're looking for for example let's say if we're meeting on
insurance trying to figure out are there opportunities with regard to the benefits
or the insurance package is being provided to our employees we're trying
to figure out if there's any anything we've missed any opportunities how do we
compare with others etc that kind of thing trying to figure those things out
if we have some some you know an epiphany about something then obviously
that'll be recommended we'll bring it up you know you know in some form and
and make a recommendation that the districts
are considered the following.
And we'd also give, if we do bring a recommendation,
I promise you, we'll give you all the facts
and all the information that we use to come up
with that recommendation as well.
So that you have full context and history of what and why
we're recommending what we're.
The information is coming from the district.
So it's not us providing information.
The information that's coming from the district
That's why we're meeting with district personnel, whether it be on benefits, on HR, et cetera.
Mr. President, so I just want to add, in the past, questions about like that,
like let's say you're trying to delve into insurance, would be asked from the dais,
you know, with everybody there, and then the answers would be gotten
or be provided to us later or something like that.
and I know that in the policy somewhere it talks about the superintendent is supposed to tell
every question asked by a board member needs to be reported to all the board members and that's
what he does in his Friday updates so so in a way I mean I'm just saying just from my point of view
the previous five years so I don't know what happened before that but the previous five years
everything all the questions asked were all everyone's questions were known by
every board member and all the answers were given to every board member so I
mean I never really thought about this until mrs. Fox brought this up but
actually she does bring a good point because late for example the policy
we've written policies before in the past and we kind of did it as a board in
in public and sometimes it would take months,
but the whole public knew about it.
And then all of us would give input into it
at the same time, you know, every, on those Monday nights.
So I'm sure that Dr. Grogorski is in the meetings
and he hears the questions and it's probably kind of,
you know, I don't know, it's against what he used to do,
which was to provide all of us things. I'm not asking him to do that. I'm just saying,
you know, it's just different. This is different.
Let me ask you this. You have private meetings with Dr. Vygorsky, don't you?
Private meetings, but not about policy, not about...
No, but you ask him questions, et cetera.
And most of my questions are shared.
Right. So two of us, three people in a committee can have a meeting with
management and ask questions.
But we don't know what the questions are.
But I don't think he records those conversations and then plays them for the entire board.
He doesn't record them, but he records them.
You're in the finance committee.
Do you think we should repeat every question we ask?
No, because basically that's a great example, Mr. Perez,
because in our finance committee we're not really doing anything.
We're just getting information, and you just even said it.
At the next meeting, the work-study meeting,
all the information that we got is presented to everybody.
So it's the same.
So what we do in that finance committee, I know we're diving a little deeper,
but it's the same information that we're getting out in public.
But we're not really doing anything.
We're learning more and stuff, but we're not really changing anything.
Okay.
I guess I view these committees as helping the board do its oversight
and due diligence, responsibility.
And it's an arm of the board, if you will.
Are you insinuating that we don't do that from here?
That we couldn't do the same thing with this?
I'm just, Mr. President, just exactly what Mrs. Champagne said.
You meet a finance committee, for example, when you know what's on an agenda.
You're getting prepared for the work-study meeting, so you have the information.
And then we ask it again, all of us here.
So we do get it, but it feels like redundancy, if that's what she's saying.
I'm not sure.
I'm not trying to be critical.
I'm trying to understand how many hours a month do you think the superintendent spends with board meetings with board members in?
committee meetings
I'm not sure that we, like the CW local, having a policy meeting for that, you know, little specific things I think are good.
But like the academic committee, when we meet, you're there and they're great meetings.
We plan out what's going to happen for the next quarter and all of the information that we think would be helpful to our board and to the public is like, bring that, bring that.
That's not necessary anymore.
That's from years ago.
go, explain that, help us understand that, and then they show up here and present everything
that we've kind of said, I think that would be interesting to the board and to the public.
So first I'm hearing about some of this.
So I was just curious about what other meetings are like, because I like the committee meetings.
I just want to make sure they're productive and as infrequent as needed.
Okay.
All right.
Thank you.
Let's see. Do we have any more member requests for information?
Mr. Perez, I don't think that we did unless I've missed something from somebody else.
Mr. President, could I ask a question about Ms. Teeny had asked, I think, last week or the month prior for an item.
I might have missed that, but more information about AP credits and limiting that and what another district did.
Did we ever get an answer on that?
That was a Friday update.
Okay.
All right.
Thank you.
Thank you.
We will have a, moving on to future meetings, we will have a work-study meeting on Monday, March 18, 2024.
10. Future Meetings
And there will be a regular board meeting on Monday, March 25, 2024.
The Board will now convene in closed meeting as authorized under section 551.001 of the
Texas Government Code for the following purpose.
Texas Government Code 551.071, 551.074, 551.129, and 551.0821.
It is necessary please for everyone to please clear the room as the Board will convene in
closed meeting in this room.
Thank you.
The Board will now reconvene in open meeting.
Today is Monday, February 26, 2024, and the time is 9.58 p.m.
The Board heard Level 3 FNG Grievance 23-032,
pursuant to KD Independent School District Policy, FNG Legal and FNG Local,
local regarding a parent grievances in closed meeting.
In accordance with 551 of the text government code,
any action regarding this matter must be taken in open meeting.
Do I have a motion on the level three FNG grievance?
Mr. President, I move that the Board of Trustees denies the level three FNG
grievance and FNG 23-032, thereby upholding the decision of the level one and
level two hearing officer.
Second.
Chair Greg Musil.
The motion has been made and seconded.
We'll move to vote.
The motion has been approved to deny the level 3 F&G grievance.
There being no further business before the board this meeting is adjourned.
The time is 9.59.
Thank you.
Official documents
Motions and votes
Recorded actions
MOTION 001 · AGENDA 6.1
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve for employees who are being recommended to receive administrative probationary, administrative term, staff member probationary, and staff member term contracts.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 002 · AGENDA 7.1
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the District's February 2024 budget amendments.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 003 · AGENDA 7.2
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve the District's December 2023 Financial statements
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 004 · AGENDA 7.3
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves an Order Authorizing the Issuance of Katy Independent School District Unlimited Tax School Building and/or Refunding Bonds in one or more series; setting certain parameters for the bonds; authorizing a Pricing Officer to approve the amount, the interest rate, price, including the terms thereof; authorizing the engagement of bond counsel; and certain other procedures and provisions related thereto. The foregoing Order authorizes the engagement of Bond Counsel pursuant to an engagement letter under which the District will obtain specialized legal services in connection with the issuance of bonds or other obligations to pay or refinance the costs of one or more projects of the District, based on the demonstrated competence and qualifications of such attorneys; finding that (i) such legal services require specialized expertise and experience in municipal finance, federal tax law and federal and state securities laws and therefore cannot be adequately performed by the attorneys and supporting personnel of the District, (ii) such legal services cannot be reasonably obtained from attorneys in private practice under an hourly fees contract without contingency because the District will not be obligated to pay any legal fees until the successful completion and closing of the contemplated transaction, and (iii) entering into a contingent fee contract for legal services is in the best interest of the residents of the District because such firm will only be paid if the contemplated transaction is successfully completed and closed.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 005 · AGENDA 7.4
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the Resolution Expressing Intent to Defease Certain of the District's Outstanding Bonds.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 006 · AGENDA 7.5
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the Resolution Declaring Intention to Reimburse Project Expenditures.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 007 · AGENDA 7.6
PassedIt is recommended that the Board approves an Order approving a New Term Rate Period or Fixed Rate Period for all or a portion of the Katy Independent School District Variable Rate Unlimited Tax School Building Bonds, Series 2021C; and approving other provisions relating thereto.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 008 · AGENDA 7.7
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the proposed summer work schedule as proposed by administration.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 009 · AGENDA 7.8
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the design associated with the renovations to Cinco Ranch High School as depicted in the design presentation prepared by Stantec Architecture dated February 19, 2024.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 010 · AGENDA 7.9
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the 2024-2025 Property Insurance program.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 011 · AGENDA 7.10
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards a contract to Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc. for the construction of Elementary School #47 in the amount of $40,422,000 and approves the total project cost not to exceed $50,021,714.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 012 · AGENDA 7.11
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards a contract to Drymalla Construction Company, LLC. for the construction of Elementary School #48 in the amount of $40,287,000 and approves the total project cost not to exceed $49,882,664.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 013 · AGENDA 7.12
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the Competitive Sealed Proposal (CSP) delivery method for the Franz Road storage office build out.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 014 · AGENDA 7.13
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the contract for the flooring replacements at Morton Ranch Elementary and Bonnie Holland Elementary schools to Tarkett USA, Inc. utilizing Choice Partners No. 21/021MJ-36 in the amount of $1,473,676.77 with a total project cost not to exceed $1,623,339.07. The project cost overages are being funded from the existing project savings in the 2021 bond authorization.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 015 · AGENDA 7.14
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the award of the contracts for the replacement of the Building Management Control Systems (BMCS) at Seven Lakes High School and Seven Lakes Junior High School to Climatec, LLC in the amount of $3,014,000 and the replacement of the Building Management Control Systems (BMCS) at Morton Ranch High School, Morton Ranch Junior High School and Morton Ranch Elementary School to Unify Energy Solutions, LLC in the amount of $3,558,000 and approves the total project cost not to exceed $7,465,000. The project cost overages are being funded from the existing project savings in the 2021 bond authorization.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 016 · AGENDA 7.15
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves of the adoption of Policy Update 122.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 017 · AGENDA 7.16
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve of an amendment to the 2023-2024 Instructional Calendar to add a student and staff holiday on April 1, 2024.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 018 · AGENDA 7.17
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards RFP 2312AA for Dark Fiber WAN Lease and Maintenance services to PS Lightwave, Inc., to meet the immediate and long-term fiber infrastructure for the District.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 019 · AGENDA 7.18
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards CSP 2310AA for Lit/Dark Fiber services to PS Lightwave, Inc., to meet the immediate and long-term fiber infrastructure for the building located at 21700 Merchants Way, Katy, Texas.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 020 · AGENDA 7.19
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards CSP 2311AA for Lit/Dark Fiber services to PS Lightwave, Inc., to meet the immediate and long-term fiber infrastructure for Elementary Schools 47 and 48.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 021 · AGENDA 7.20
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves Board Policy CW(LOCAL).
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 022 · AGENDA 7.21
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves of the minutes for the January Board meetings.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 023 · AGENDA 8.1
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve of the Katy Independent School District Resolution regarding employing or accepting as volunteers chaplains.
5 Yes · 2 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | No |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | No |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 024 · AGENDA 12.1
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees denies the Level Three FNG grievance in FNG 23-032, thereby upholding the decision of the Level One and Level Two hearing officer.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |