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In this meeting
- 0:06 to 0:33 1. Call to Order
- 0:33 to 1:00 2. Closed Meeting
- 1:00 to 11:59 3. Reconvene from Closed Meeting – The Board will reconvene from Closed Meeting
- 11:59 to 29:00 5. Recognitions
- 29:00 to 1:13:16 6. Public Comment/Citizen Participation
- 1:13:16 to 1:13:42 7. Closed Meeting
- 1:13:42 to 1:14:06 8. Reconvene from Closed Meeting – The Board will reconvene from Closed Meeting.
- 1:14:06 to 1:31:40 9.1 Career and Technical Education – Preparing Students for Their Future Careers Today
- 1:31:40 to 1:33:31 10. Consent Agenda
- 1:33:31 to 1:54:30 10.1 Consider Board approval of naming Elementary #47 as recommended by the Naming Advisory Committee.
- 1:54:30 to 1:55:14 10.2 Consider Board approval of naming Elementary #48 as recommended by the Naming Advisory Committee.
- 1:55:14 to 2:07:00 10.7 Consider Board adoption of a Resolution to cast Katy Independent School District's votes for the Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors.
- 2:07:00 to 2:16:28 10.10 Consider Board approval of a contract to the build out of the Merchants Way building.
- 2:16:28 to 2:16:42 11.1 Donated Items to the Katy Independent School District
- 2:16:42 to 2:18:33 11.2 Board Committee Updates
- 2:18:33 to 2:18:48 12. Future Meetings
- 2:18:48 to 2:19:16 13. Closed Meeting
- 2:19:16 to 2:20:59 14. Reconvene
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 KDI Independent School District to order. Today is Monday, December 9, and the time is 4.03 p.m. Dr. Ragorski, will you verify that we are in compliance with the provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act with regard to notice for this meeting? COMMISSIONER MAY.
PRESIDENT, I DO CONFIRM WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH PROVISIONS TO TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT FOR OUR MEETING TONIGHT.
CHAIRMAN BRYANT.
THANK YOU.
2. Closed Meeting
THE BOARD WILL NOW CONVENE IN CLOSED MEETING AS AUTHORIZED UNDER SECTION 551.001 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES. TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551.071, 551.072, 551.076, AND 551.129.
3. Reconvene from Closed Meeting – The Board will reconvene from Closed Meeting
Good afternoon. The Board will now reconvene in open meeting today's Monday, December 9, 2024, and the time is 5.13 p.m. 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, December 6, 2024. 24 the board will receive information and recommendations from staff administration and superintendent on these agenda items at tonight's meeting Board members to 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 5 5 1 of the text government code any action arising from discussions in a closed meeting must be taken in open meeting
All right, we're going to start off with some Pledge of Allegiance and a National Anthem, and we have a lot of special guests here. I see them out there. Great to see our students coming out, but first up on our Pledge of Allegiance, we have Wyatt Hoy, a fifth grader from Cimarron Elementary. I see his principal out there is Lindsey Chase. Parents Justin and Tiffany Coy, He's got a sibling over at West Memorial Junior High. Student special interests playing guitar, soccer, and reading Harry Potter books. Favorite subjects, reading and math. Couple of quotes from his teachers from Ms. Kratz, fifth grade math and science teacher. White is an incredibly dedicated student who always strives to do his best in every task. He is the house leader for Amistad as voted on by his peers. his commitment to learning is matched by his kindness as he is a great friend to everyone in class he treats his teachers and all staff members with utmost respect making him a wonderful role model for his peers from this Haggerty fifth grade literacy and social studies why it is an exemplary fifth grade student known for his dedication and strong leadership qualities consistently sets a positive example for his classmates through his hard work and commitment to excellent why it's enthusiasm for learning and his ability to made it motivate others makes him a standout in the classroom but before we have our pledge leader so just stay tuned for a minute we also want to introduce to Bethke elementary choir who's out here they will be doing the national anthem so from Beth Bethke's elementary choir music director L'Oreal Bauer Sox and Matthew Solis principal Tommy Daniels we've got a bunch of students out there abigail quintanilla diana granadino esther azubuki hunter hart jacob mendoza jada petty jayla garcia keegan tolson mason hart merrick martin nala rogers nevaeh andrews rosie Trejo, Sarah Sacker, Seth Hunyung Bong, Sophia Tapia, Tory Richard, Vince Craze, Wilson Sofala. And a quote from our music directors, students of Bethke Bison Choir truly embody what it means to be a Bethke Bison. They're strong, resourceful, and work hard to be successful in whatever they do. This fall, we have seen them come together, creating bonds of friendship, sharing laughs and hardships and growing their love of music as a herd. In the spring they will become leaders to our fourth grade students who will join choir helping to guide them through the new experience of singing and performing as a group and in parts. We are so proud of these students and all they have accomplished. Go Bisons, go CBE. So let's start with a pledge and then we will do our national anthem.
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.
Let's go ahead and bring up our national anthem. And then we'll do your remarks right after the national anthem.
Thank you.
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, What so proudly we watched, what 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. Oh, 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 Gorgorski. My name is Wyatt Poynter. I'm honored to be here tonight. I enjoy going to school at Cimarron and love my teachers and friends there too. Some of my favorite things about school are being on the house council as house representative and being a member of the fifth grade choir. I like to play soccer and this year my team won first place in our league. I'm also learning how to play the acoustic guitar but I'm hoping to get an electric one for Christmas or my birthday. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
5. Recognitions
one I want to go ahead and recognize out there is Felicia Ashenbranner. Where's Felicia at? Felicia is actually not a new principal. She is the principal of May Creek Elementary, but she's going to be doing a new position for us, and she has volunteered to come open elementary number 47. So thank you for doing that, Felicia. We appreciate it. I don't know if you brought anyone out with you tonight. Felicia, do you have anyone with you you would like to introduce? All right, awesome, thank you. And for a very new principal is Tamika Holdman, who is going to open up number 48. Where's Tamika? Yes, thank you. And Tamika, who did you bring with you today? day so your whole family everybody everyone you could find awesome well thank you looking forward to it and last principle we want to recognize today is also going to be a new principal for us he has already started in the position and for those of you might be watching from home at Beckendorf junior high Paul Paul Massavi is retiring at Christmas, and Mr. Grant Smith is taking over for Paul. So there's Grant. Thank you for doing that, Grant. And who did you bring with you?
My wife, Reagan, and my daughter, Sage, and my daughter, Sarah. There she is.
Awesome. Well, thank you, Grant. Appreciate that. All right. And then we're going to do another recognition of some police officers, and I'm going to invite up Craig Eichhorn. He's our Director of Communications. But before he gets to reading what he's got over there, I just want to say that Craig's been doing 33 years in public education, and he is retiring in a few days. So thank you, Craig. Appreciate your service to public education and everything you've done for KDISD and your time with us. So but I understand you're going to Oklahoma something about grandkids. That's right, sir
I'll be living down the street for about grand babies. In fact, just four houses down So and the best part is they bought the house
All right. Well, it's all yours Craig for your last board meeting with Katie ISD
Thank you, sir, dr. Gregor ski, mr. Perez miss Timmy miss Calhoun miss champagne miss Fox. Mr. Reb and miss I just want to thank you all, Dr. Grooms, Caskey, Hack, all these guys right here, all my fantasy football buddies, Ruben Martinez, thank you for letting me end my 33-year career at the best school district in Texas. There's no doubt in my mind that after coming here, it's 18 months, but it's 18 months of good work. I think we did a lot of good things for the kids and the community of Katy ISD. and those of us who are in a leaf ISD know we're in the best district right here right Natalie join me I just want to thank each and everyone you I look around this room I think I've made a connection with each and every one of you individually and I hope we can keep that up and Cindy's over there crying and I don't make me cry I want to thank you all for what you've accepting me from day one dr. grooms accepting me from day one and as you know this has been a very tough fall and dr. grooms is very gracious when my mom got severely severely ill in the past and let me take as much time as possible. So Dr. Grooms, you will always be in my heart for that. Thank you so much for that. And thanks to you all for KDISD making it great. Continue to do the good work and I hope we stay in touch. Thank you all. All right, Chief. I got to try to talk now, really. As you know, KDISD police officers serve over 100 campuses and facilities across our district. They are dedicated to protecting lives and property with the utmost professionalism and ethical standards. So here to present a special recognition in honor of four officers is KDISD Chief of Police, Henry Gaugh.
Good evening, President Perez, Board of Trustees, Superintendent Gorgorski. Tonight, we recognize the swift, life-saving actions of Officer Jason Ryan, Lieutenant Glenn Cloud, Sergeant Jeffrey Martinez, and Officer Matt Graham. These officers helped to save the life of Mr. Rene Leva at a recent band competition held at Legacy Stadium on November 9th. Mr. Leva is a Klein Collins High School parent volunteer who suffered a heart attack while moving equipment. That evening was a very busy one for medical teams on site, so much so that the EMS team assisting Mr. Leva was in need of additional assistance. Lieutenant Cloud received this information and while en route to the location, contacted KDISD dispatch to arrange for medics. officer Ryan sergeant Martinez and officer Graham quickly arrived to assist when officers arrived at the scene CPR is being performed on mr. Leda fortunately officer Ryan also had access to a nearby ad they actually had on his uh I'll call it a golf cart Jason Hedrick another client Collins parent volunteer who was also a paramedic assisted officer Ryan and applying to the AED pads. Sergeant Martinez aided in crowd control and clearing the area. Lieutenant Cloud coordinated the assistance and provided information to Mr. Leiva's wife Laura. Thanks to Officer Graham's guidance the KD Fire Department and ambulance arrived promptly allowing Mr. Leiva to receive the additional medical care that he needed. Lieutenant Cloud summed it up perfectly with this summary of the incident. I went back to the Legacy Stadium that area that evening and talked with all the officers involved and thanked them for going above and beyond and i guess we kind of consoled one another not knowing the outcome of renee leva i'm gonna outlive this part a little bit because it was just coincidental that i got the email from uh jason that kind of kind of uh you know started all this in the recognition and realizing the outcome for the days that passed we all wanted some sort of closure to know what happened to mr liva and we found out that he survived survived the cardiac arrest and had bypass surgery, which was a relief to all involved. I want to recognize all who were involved, from Officer Jason Ryan, Sergeant Jeff Martinez, and Officer Matt Graham, and to the firefighters, the EMTs, the parent volunteers, stadium staff, and the many others who assisted in one way or another. In short, I am truly honored to be supervising and working alongside these officers, and communication is key. At times when we all anticipated each other's move and acted accordingly to make sure all has worked as seamless as possible for the safety of all involved, especially for Mr. Leva. The KDISD police officers who assisted in deploying the AED and helped get Mrs. Leva to the hospital to be with her husband are being recognized this evening with the KDISD Meritorious Service Award for their actions. Because of their efforts, Mr. Leva is with us today and will see his daughter graduate in May. So at this time, and also in the crowd, I saw, I understand Tammy is here too, she was one of the medics who assisted. So at this time I would like to introduce Officer Jason Ryan, Lieutenant Glenn Cloud, and Sergeant Martinez, and is Officer Matt Graham out there? And Officer Matt Graham, he's been kind of modest. that's why he's not in the picture. These officers embody the core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all. Tonight they're joined by Cline Collins high school parents or the pit crew as they call them right, Mr. Jason Hedrick and Mr. Rene Leva. We are immensely grateful to these outstanding public servants. Congratulations to all on earning this much deserved award.
Yeah, go ahead.
I just want to thank the officers who were there that night. and the entire district was there between Klein Collins district and Klein Katie district and Klein ISD district is everyone was there was so many people there and everybody was there at the right time and at the right right place to save my husband's life it was something that was not even expected it It happened as fast as can be to a healthy person who's never had any health issues. And so for this to have taken place and to have the right people there was a miracle. And every doctor, every specialist we have seen had said that he's a walking miracle. And it wouldn't have been for everyone that is standing out here and many more other people if it wasn't for everyone who helped that night I would not be here with my husband till this day he's more than just my husband he's my everything he's my soul he's my life he's everything to me I don't remember any of these people and that I'm looking at right now I went into shock that day so they assist me to getting me to that hospital to getting me to where i needed to go because i didn't i don't remember anything i i don't remember and i'm just not meeting everybody for the first time and i thank you katie for everything i i think your staff i think the teachers parents everyone who was there who heard my cries and screams that night who rushed over to help me and my husband thank you you so much and God bless you and many more, many more. You just don't, you'll never understand unless you're in my shoes, but it's more, more thankful that I can, I don't even know how to thank you as much as I, it's impossible. It's endless, endless. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Amen.
Thank you.
We'll remind us of some scouts. Come forward, please. What a treat. Thank you so much. We don't get many scouts these days, so we're so happy to have you. So tell us something about yourself, where you go to school, what badges you're working on. Go ahead.
Hi. Hi, we are Troop 129166 and we are here for our silver award. I'm Adrena, this is Kendall and this is Gabby. Can I begin?
Go ahead, did you have something you wanted to say?
Okay, we believe that the dress code is not fairly enforced and we would like to propose a change. We created a survey to see how our community feels and come up with a plan for what those changes could be. As you can see we sent the survey results to you.
In our survey of 144 responses, half were parents, 27% are students, and the rest are teachers or community members. We found 41% say it's biased, 54% say say it's not enforced fairly. Part of a quote we found says, girls are often unfairly subjected to rules boys don't have.
Based on our troops' experiences with the dress code and the data we collected, we agreed that the dress code should be modified to say any shirt should be fine as long as there are some sort of straps and don't show stomach past your belly button. As for the bottoms, you should be allowed to wear anything, including pajamas, as long as your bottom isn't showing and your pants or shorts are not sagging. Staff should also be trained to identify people that are out of dress code and not let anybody who is not in dress code pass. That way certain people and genders aren't targeted. Thank you for considering our proposal.
Thank you very much. So we've been, the board's been presented with a survey that you did, survey results related to the dress code. So everybody has a copy. We so much appreciate that. Thanks for your work on it and your service on this. Anything else you wanted to say? How long have you been in the Scouts, each of you?
Six years. Eight? Turn the mic. Six years for me.
And I didn't catch that early. Where do you go to school?
I go to school in La Marcia ISD.
Okay. Go ahead.
I go to Wood Creek. And I go to Beckendorf.
Beckendorf, okay. All right. Thank you very much, and thank you for your service. Thank you for for thank you for the survey. We'll definitely take a look at that. Thank you so much
6. Public Comment/Citizen Participation
At this time the board of trustees will give members of the public an opportunity to speak in accordance with Katie ISD board policy BED local as defined by board policy speakers who signed up by 2 p.m. On Monday, December 9 2024 provided their first and last name and signed in 15 minutes prior to 5 p.m 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 that signed up to speak on non agenda items be allowed I believe is that two two minutes and 18 seconds something like that is that right Yeah, approximately two minutes and 18 seconds, I believe. If a speaker's 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. members, the Superintendent, 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 551.821, the Board will It will not permit the presentation of personally identifiable information regarding a student. It will not discuss the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, 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, F&G local, DGBA local, CKE local, or GF local. Our speakers will be called forward in the order they sign up to speak, and first we'll have speakers that are speaking on agenda items, and we start out with Chelsea Lemus.
Mr. President, Mr. President, I have a question for you. May I approach to ask you something privately before this speaker speaks?
Sure.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Our first speaker, Chelsea Lemus, and after that, Gibran Shafqat. Welcome.
Hello, Board members. It's an honor to speak to you today. I would ask you to please review the binders that we have provided to you, if that's possible, to follow the discussion on electrification and KDISD. In the past decade, it's become evident that there has been an extreme rise in weather-related events and it has been impacting more than just the environment. The United States Environmental Protection Agency agrees that it's, quote, affecting the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe, and the weather we experience. Non-renewable energy sources are the leading cause of extreme climate and environmental damage contributing to carbon emissions and thereby harming people and the planet alike. As a result, these extreme weather events are estimated by the World Economic Forum to cost between $1.7 trillion and $3.1 billion per year by 2050. This cost covers expenses from damages to infrastructure, property, agriculture, and human health. end quote. This global price tag on the earth will only continue to rise as the impacts of these events become more evident for schools specifically these costs are made obvious through insurance, missed days and malfunctioning systems. 82% of Florida school districts have canceled at least one day of school in response to the extreme extreme weather. This coupled with increasingly hot days and stronger storms in the Katy area indicate a need for cost-effective alternatives that do not leave our school districts vulnerable to a bad weather day. Now if you could please review page 16 in the binders that we have provided. I will now explain the how behind climate resilience. Resilience begins with ensuring our schools are prepared for today's and tomorrow's challenges. One powerful way to achieve this is through electrification, creating schools with reliable, stable power systems that can function consistently no matter the circumstances. Consider the importance of uninterrupted electricity in maintaining day-to-day operations. From powering classrooms equipped with educational technology to ensuring a safe and comfortable learning environment. A steady power supply is fundamental to our student's success. For areas like ours, prone to power outages, generating electricity on-site through renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines provide schools with energy independence. This reduces reliance on centralized grids and safeguards in our schools from external disruptions. Electrification also supports the health and safety of our students and staff. Electric heating, cooling, and ventilation systems improve indoor air quality and create comfortable environments where students can focus and thrive by reducing dependence on combustion-based systems. We are not only enhancing comfort, but ensuring safer, more sustainable conditions. Thank you for considering me to speak today. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Gibran Shafkat, followed by Amukta Pandanshankam.
Hello, my name is Jibran Shafqat and I'm a senior at Taylor High School. One of the most pressing challenges school districts face today is the rising cost of electricity. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, schools spend an average of $100 per student on energy annually, with Texas schools spending even more, around $165 per student. These high costs place a significant strain on school budgets, limiting their ability to enhance facilities, provide incentives, and improve student outcomes. outcomes. However, implementing electrification projects offers a solution by significantly reducing operational and maintenance costs, allowing districts to relocate funds to areas that directly benefit students and staff. Electric school buses present a transformative opportunity for districts. For example, Bluebird, a leading school bus manufacturer, reports that electricity costs about 14 cents per mile compared to 49 cents per mile for diesel. Additionally, electric buses have fewer components than diesel buses, which minimizes the risk for breakdowns and costly repairs, saving districts both time and money. Moreover, electric buses can generate revenue by selling surplus energy back to the grid. When not in use, these buses store energy that districts can feed into the local grid, providing a financial boost to schools while further lowering their operational expenses. expenses. These systems convert sunlight into electricity, which reduces schools' reliance on costly grid energy. For instance, Orange County Public Schools in Virginia installed solar panels in seven schools, saving approximately $130,000 in just one year. Similarly, Louisa County in Virginia expects to save up to $8 million over 30 years from its solar installations, with unexpected savings of $4,000 in just six months due to rising energy costs. As As young leaders, our responsibility is to create a sustainable future for generations to come. By implementing electrification projects, KDIC can not only reduce its environmental impact, but also enhance financial stability and community well-being. Electric school buses and solar energy systems represent tools for progress, helping prevent extreme weather events like the 2021 freeze, and ensuring a brighter future for students, teachers, and the district as a whole. Electrification is not just an investment in infrastructure, It's an investment in our community's future and let's seize this opportunity to lead the way. Thank you for your time. Thank you
Amukta, welcome
Hello, my name is Amukta Panchangamangata and I'm a junior at Taylor High School. As districts hope to improve infrastructure and sustainability sustainability. Electrification becomes a vital strategy. The transition to electric power systems allows school districts to acquire funding opportunities, in turn addressing the financial challenges of improving infrastructure. Due to this, districts position themselves strategically as they can leverage federal grants and tax incentives, allowing for electrification to become easier. The K-12 action plan emphasizes the role of PPAs, power purchase agreements, and electrification as they can present access to potential funding opportunities and advance sustainability goals without incurring significant upfront costs. The plan emphasizes that by leveraging PPAs, schools can benefit from social energy without the need for investment in the purchase and installation or maintenance of solar panels. By doing so, third-party developers can install and maintain panels on school premises with the school agreeing to purchase the solar power generated at a fixed cost over a predetermined period, typically around 20 years. This arrangement not only provides schools with access to renewable energy but also offers potential cost savings on energy expenditures. Solar energy being generally cheaper than traditional energy resources allows schools to seek favorable rates for the duration of the agreement and hinders fluctuations in prices. Moreover, PPAs enable schools to address barriers such as limited financial resources and complex regulatory frameworks that may hinder the adoption of solar energy. By doing so, schools can address legal issues by maximizing the benefits of solar energy adoption. The Tuckson Unified School District in Arizona highlights the advantages of PPAs. and the district's expected to save millions in energy costs over the agreement's duration. This school district has powered 80-plus schools and is expected to save an estimated $43 million within the next 20 years. With the power agreement, the district can pay no upfront additional costs and will continue to purchase solar energy at a fixed rate for 20-plus years. Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 highlights how electrifying schools foster sustainability and allows for increased potential for funding opportunities. The act also hopes to intensify the adoption of vehicles based on renewable energy, and it provides tax credits that can exempt tax entities such as school districts. Electrification offers a diverse range of benefits, stemming from sustainability within institutions to financial viability. The process of electrifying school districts allows schools to improve finances by acquiring potential funding opportunities, and this transition to renewable energy also serves as a development for significant infrastructural improvements through the use of various funding opportunities and programs. By embracing electrification, districts can refine their institutions and create healthier learning environments as well. This financial benefit alleviates stress placed on school budgets and makes electrification far more feasible with a greater chance of success for the students and the staff alike. Thank you so much.
Thank you. The next speaker is Elizabeth Griss. Elizabeth Griss.
Elizabeth Griss.
Good evening. I'm a proud educator in Katy ISD. I'm a second year transition teacher for Katy High School and was a Katy Plus teacher for four years prior to that. I would like for you to imagine going to the same school for potentially eight years, seeing the same walls, attending the same school events, and potentially completing the same job tasks and job sites. Imagine the redundancy and monotony. Imagine having to return to the same school the August after you graduate and notice that you are one of the few of your peers that have returned. returned. Didn't graduation mean you were done? Why then are you back in the same school? Why are you at 18, 19, 20 years of age eating in the same cafeteria as a 15 year old? This is what our KDplus students face every day. The lack of change can cause regression, boredom, complacency and in some cases an increase in negative behaviors. Let's also consider the purpose of transition programming mandated by the government. Adult student transition Transition programs are educational programs that provide instruction and age-appropriate community environments to adult students. The primary goal of these programs is to prepare students with disabilities for adult life in their communities, whether that be for further education, employment, or living independently. The success of these programs are highly hinged upon many factors, but when we look at statistics, we can see very little success. Only 31% of Texans with disabilities are employed. 66% are not even in the labor force. Only 9% of working-age Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities work in competitive settings, where they earn market wages and work alongside people without disabilities. Not only does this not show success, but these numbers are also staggering and depressing. Quality indicators of exemplary adult student transition programs, according to multiple researchers, researchers, is that the program is provided in age-appropriate environments to promote social interaction and community inclusion. The instruction is functional and occurs progressively in natural settings, such as work settings and community recreation. As the adult student progresses through the transition programming, the student should be spending more and more time in natural community environments. High schools are not natural community environments in this case, and instead provide the most restrictive setting for our adult students. Housing all Katy plus students on one campus will afford the collaboration of teachers, the joining of resources, and the ability to group students based on their post-secondary goals. It would allow us to meet the varying needs of students more cohesively and successfully. It has the potential to grow into a place of growth and success that mirrors our Katy prestige. I urge you to approve the additional funds for this incredibly necessary building. Thank you. Thank you
very much. Our next speaker is Rishonow Dunbar. I just want to reiterate what I said earlier which is that you cannot present personal identifiable information about a student nor hear a complaint or charge against an officer or employee. Go ahead, thank you.
I'm continuing my exposure of the Babylonian gold-draped American flag behind you there. It's very interesting that you have the real American and Texas flag imprisoned in the frames as this is truly what has happened to this nation, this state, and our schools. All of this has been done to steer our children away from God. The scripture says my people perish for a lack of knowledge, and this is true of all believers who have blindly trusted this world system. system. This flag kept our kids out of school with this creation of COVID. Patent number is 7279327 and your beloved Anthony Fauci was involved in this creation. We have become a nation of passive believers who pray but take no action. We have been sold this passive and peaceful Yahushua, the one you call Jesus, but we forget when he whipped the money changers out of the temple for corrupting his house. We love the nice scriptures but ignore the ones that say the kingdom suffers violence with a violent ticket by force i'm not speaking of by of physical violence i always give people a chance to do the right thing before i go into battle i don't just talk to talk i've been bringing down giants with the lord's help for a while when they force when they force workers to get vaccinated or be terminated i let at t terminate me after 16 years of employment so they could be sued for millions AT&T and I went to battle before a judge who denied my unemployment stating the company made all the right decisions. I appealed this decision and asked the Lord that that judge would not rest until she corrected this wrong. A month later, the same judge granted my unemployment and stated the company was in the wrong. During the pandemic, I entered their stores without masks. My son was refused emergency medical service because I refused to wear masks. mask. I filed a complaint that included 30 pages of peer-reviewed medical facts about COVID mask and vaccines with every medical agency in the state. I received a letter from Fairview Medical Hospital advising me that masks would no longer be required in the emergency room. I will no longer bring requests before this board, but will begin to take legal action against the public school system in the entire United States. You're not dealing with one of those watered-down, only on Sunday Christians. I personally know the God who backs me. I will take it by force.
Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker, Jada Ugue, followed by Tana Weiss.
Welcome.
Good afternoon members of the board and superintendent Grigorski. My name is Jada Ogwe and I'm a senior at Jordan High School. I'm also the co-president of my school's technology student association. Today I'm here on behalf of Emco Justice, a youth-led organization with over a thousand individuals focused on advocating for the ethical use of AI and I would like to voice our concerns about the alarming issue of deep fakes and proposed ideas to confront their growing threat. Deepfakes are AI-generated videos or images. Over the past year, sexually explicit deepfake content has surged by over 290%, with surveys showing about 1 in 10 minors know classmates who have used AI tools to generate new images of peers. The surge in doctored images has alarmed students, as it leaves us vulnerable to harassment and emotional trauma. While Texas Senate Bill 179 and the KDISD sexting policy both penalize a student's possession and or transmittal of sexual visual material, loopholes around AI-generated sexual media can be exploited. Thus, I believe that KDISD needs to take further action on combating the misuse of deepfakes among students by modifying its student code of conduct to equate real images with deepfake-generated ones. This complies with the Department of Education's recent update to the federal Title IX online harassment policy, which includes AI-altered or generated images in the definition of intimate images. This change will emphasize that deepfakes cause equal harm to students as traditional forms of sexual abuse and harassment, deterring harmful behavior. Furthermore, updating procedures to address non-consensual sexual deepfake images will protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable. Integrating awareness programs will provide a safer school environment and teach responsible digital conduct in an increasingly technology-driven world. Thank you.
Thank you. Hannah Weiss, followed by Sebastian Romero.
TANNA WEISS Good evening, Dr. Gagorski and Board Members. My name is Tanna Weiss and I'm speaking on behalf of another parent, Sarah Perkins, about a public library website that is newly blocked by KDISD. This year, my kids started accessing their library books on Libby.com from their Chromebooks like they had on their personal iPads all the previous years. It keeps them from having to carry their heavy library books to school in their already impossibly heavy backpacks for free reading or Times they're finished with their assignments in class That is until Monday, September 23rd when Libby was suddenly blocked on the Chromebooks After talking to IT. We learned that Libby was no longer allowed because kids might access Censored books with it. Do you really want Katie ISD to be known for not letting kids access? public libraries on school devices? Also, how do you explain that the students can bring books the district might not approve of from the library to school to read on school property, but they can't access Libby on the slight chance that they read one on the banned website? I am my children's parent, not the school board. I am perfectly capable of making sure my kids' reading materials meets my standards which i can easily do through the libby app this is an infringement on every student's first amendment rights please unblock libby and let kdisd students have access to public libraries this is an overreach even for this board thank you thank you
sebastian romero followed by ryan price
Good afternoon. My name is Sebastian Romero. I'm a senior at Taylor High School. In today's day and age, technology is rapidly advancing and we're being provided with hundreds of new forms of it day by day. As of right now, KDISD is not taking advantage of these opportunities. The problem? Outdated HVAC systems. Aging and underfunded, these systems cause discomfort, respiratory illnesses, abstinence, and poor academic performances due to low indoor environmental quality. Studies show HVAC systems account for 56% of schools' energy use, much of it from burning fossil fuels, with nearly 40% of schools lacking full cooling capacity, leaving them burnable to extreme weather. Inefficient ventilation fails to remove contaminants, increasing disease spread as highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Upgrading these systems is essential for healthier, safer, and more effective learning environments. The rise in extreme weather events has highlighted the urgent need for the implementation of electrification projects in school districts across Texas. With the high cost of electricity limiting the amount of money going towards essential improvements, Establishing electrification initiatives such as electric school buses not only supports the reduction of operational costs, but also promotes sustainability and fosters healthier learning environments. We urge you to review the HANA we have provided, which outlines detailed examples of successful initiatives, highlights the potential cost savings using the district-specific calculator, and offers additional resources to support the implementation of these changes. Signing the resolution for commitment to clean energy and electrification will formalize KDIC's dedication to a sustainable and forward-thinking future. Furthermore, we encourage you to schedule a follow-up work study meeting to discuss the initiatives in greater detail and collaborate on actionable next steps. By taking these critical actions, KDIC can exemplify visionary leadership, prioritize sustainability, academic excellence, and resilience for the benefit of its students and community. Thank you for your time and attention.
Thank you. Ryan Price followed by Karenza Murdick.
Good afternoon. My name is Ryan Price. I'm a paleontologist and natural sciences educator. I work for the Houston Museum of Natural Science. I've also held positions for the Houston Zoo's Education Department. I've also worked with another museum in Tucumcari, New Mexico, outside of the state of Texas. I've also spent about 300 hours in the CFISD school system working between the ages of first and fifth grade teaching STEM sciences mainly in environmental sciences and life sciences. Given this, I was a little upset to learn that one of your books was removed recently from your school's libraries, that being Steve Parker's Eyewitness Mammal. This was a little confounding to me because Mammal is a book intended for grades first through fourth grade. It's primarily a picture book with small paragraphs Just describing what a mammal is where they come from where they live what they look like things like that so I don't really understand following the KDISD's penal codes. There's no explicit nature in this book. There's no sexual content in there without context There's no violence in there either doesn't seem to break any of the rules. So it was removed and that was a little strange. I I saw on the list that things were removed for being perversively vulgar. Vulgar seems like a strong word for a book about what a mammal is for a second grader. I don't understand that either. I reached out to the author to let him know that his book had been removed, and I provided his personal statement to you all. He's written it down for you guys. Kind of to finalize my argument here, I'd like to go ahead and state that Texas has one of the greatest biodiversity of mammals in the world. In Houston, you have a better chance, and your children have a better chance, of seeing a mammal on their way to and from school than almost any city of equivalent size on the planet. And it seems a little strange and uncomfortable to me that your students and your children wouldn't be able to identify it or learn about it here in the state of Texas. That upsets me as an educator, but more importantly, it upsets me as someone who, hey, really loves animals. I want to go ahead and thank the board so much for their time today. Thank you guys so much, and have a rest of your afternoon.
Thank you. Lorenza Murdoch, followed by Angela Clark.
Good evening, everybody. I'm here from KDISD Council of PPAs. I'm the president currently, and I am here to give my report, just kind of at the end of the year before we go into spring, fall report. Excuse me. Our council is made up of 70 different PTAs and together we are working to ensure that every child's potential is a reality because we value the partnership between the superintendent, school board, community and PTA and because we count on your continued support, I want to give you a brief update on our important work even though I gave you like two pages plus. I won't read through all of that. our goal this year has been to become more involved inclusive and available to our local ptas the district and the community we are working on increasing our membership numbers to reach our goal of 35 000 and we are currently at about 29 000 i believe it's in our it's in my paperwork and we are also working to increase our presence and our voice um in austin on february 24th of 2025 at rally day this is where we're going to go and talk with our leaders about keeping school funding in our public schools and all the things that you guys are facing now i'm going to move on to some of our successes we have earned the council on the move award and many of our local ptas have earned many of the following rewards awards excuse me the head start awards snappy increased golden apple mars and student membership award taylor high school has been awarded the community gold award they are the only school in our district to earn that i have 30 seconds so i have to hurry okay so now to brag on our national pta grant award recipients golbo elementary hudson Russell Schmalz and Rylander were awarded the Ready Tech Go grant by the National PTA and AT&T. May Creek Junior High was awarded the PTA Connected eInternet Awesome grant sponsored by Google and YouTube. too and we want to thank all of you for becoming members of our thank you thank
you so much thank you thank you for what you do thank you so much Angela Clark Mark, followed by Jared Burton.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the board. I'm here to suggest, one, I have two students enrolled in KDISD. I'm here to suggest more sensitivity and inclusion training for the staff of all KDISD. As I just stated, I have two students currently enrolled in KDISD and I've had several unnecessary issues and challenges with the staff seeking information whether it be safety protocol if my child's safety has been violated by a parent on school's grounds which is one specific thing that I've had to address and I have taken that through all proper channels as far as up to superintendents as well as well as KDISD police I've had to elevate concerns to the superintendent level with no avail and when I do what I think is the right thing to do I met with uncooperative staff that will give no clarity or direct information I've had to reach out to the KDISD police department regarding my son being endangered by a parent that decided to come on to schools campus and have lunch with the child but chose to confront my child and when I brought this this information to the staff as well as the superintendents. The same principle is in place. I've run into the parent again at an event that was by KDISD after being told by KDISD police that this person was supposed to be banned from property, from all KDISD events and properties. The ridiculous pin whipping that I'm having and the runaround that I'm experiencing is both inhumane and stressful to myself and my family. We've been accused of falsifying documentation in order to stay here in the district when we... lived here in the district, we've provided all information required and we're being asked to provide information that's not required on your particular website. So I'm asking that you all take this into consideration and hopefully make some changes. Thank you.
Thank you. Jared Burton, followed by Allison Knight.
Hello Board, my name is Jared Burton. I'm a senior at Tompkins and president of the School of Sexuality and Gender Alliance Club. In my 10th grade English 2 class, as part of our unit on dystopian literature, we read a letter penned by author Kurt Vonnegut 51 years ago, addressed to a school board not so different from our own in Drake, North Dakota. Deeming his novel Slaughterhouse-Five inappropriate and unsuitable for their classrooms, the school board president ordered that all copies be thrown into the furnace, and act that smart to nationwide outcry. Who do these people think they are, everybody thought. And now, we're the district that I read about in class. Here we are 51 years later. KDISD has deemed Slaughterhouse-Five to be unsuitable and inappropriate for our classrooms. And while nobody's shoveling any books into furnaces, there are still striking parallels to be drawn. In the same way, Vonna gets words in a private letter to the school board president that ring true even today. Quote, If you were to bother to read my books, to behave as educated persons would, you would learn that they are not sexy and do not argue in favor of wildness of any kind. They beg people to be kinder and more responsible than they often are. It is true that some of the characters speak coarsely. That is because people speak coarsely in real life. And we all know that, and we all know that too, that those words don't really damage children much. They didn't damage us when we were young. It was evil deeds and lying that hurt us. If you think some foul, end quote, if you think some foul-mouthed characters are enough reason to throw a book into the metaphorical furnace, then I'd assume you've never listened in on a conversation between the average group of high school boys. You do not protect a child from the world by throwing a sheet over their head and covering their ears as you walk them through their lives. This doesn't keep them innocent, it keeps them ignorant. We inhabit a world with a dark side and it's better that our students know these dangers from a book before they know them firsthand. Books challenge us to think, but these books are constantly challenged because you're afraid to think. If you don't want students reading these books because you're afraid it'll make them uncomfortable, how do you think that feels to the student who sees their own story within these pages, that their own life is too vulgar to be found in a school library? I, for one, am sick and tired of having my education whittled down at the whim of people who fear that words on a page will turn their kids gay. It is in divisive times like these that I would like to remind you the enemy of peace is not hatred but ignorance. Please reinstate these books. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Allison Knight, followed by George Scott.
Good evening, President Perez, Board of Trustees, and Dr. Gagorski. My name is Allison Knight, and I'm a fifth grade teacher in Katy ISD. As most of you are well aware, teachers' planning and prep time, which is protected under the Texas Education Code, Section 21.404, is being illegally taken away from teachers across Katy ISD. This code and your own board policies state that teachers have the right to 450 minutes every two weeks of planning and prep time, which is a minimum of 45 minutes each day. Though this is clearly stated, we have been told repeatedly that it's a campus and district expectation that we are to meet for grade-level planning sessions, data digs, mandatory meetings, and the occasional district professional development session during two out of our five planning periods each week. This is stealing at minimum 40% of teachers legally protected time every single week. When going through the proper administrative channels and bringing these concerns directly to district leadership last school year, we were told why we should voluntarily give up our planning time anyway, because we work after school to prep. Then this year, while continuing to have the same conversation and pushing that planning time is a right, we were told you have a choice in where you work. this is negatively impacting the sports previous and ongoing attempts to promote teacher retention and we are not asking for extra time or resources we are asking for you to protect the time that is legally ours while your teachers are doing the best we can for our students you remain out of compliance with the state education code I urge the board to finally take action on this issue and and ensure that your teachers' rights and time are respected, not just in policy but in practice. The students in Katy ISD deserve educators who are fully prepared, supported, and respected. Thank you.
Thank you. George Scott, followed by Laura Johansen.
My name is George Scott, a KD resident, three children, graduates of KDISD since we moved to town in 1983, which was a long time ago. As an aside, I've covered city council and school board meetings for over 50 years. These students did one of the best jobs I have ever seen of playing the two to three minute time restricted speeches as I've ever seen. Y'all did a great job. My primary goal here tonight is this. I think that this probably stayed on your table. and I want to make sure that there is a public record with the video camera and the recorder rolling that you got this document. Good morning. I prefer the daylight of sunrise, because it's morning somewhere, than the darkness of sunset. set. Over the course of the next month and five months, as that letter explains, you each individually, including the superintendent of schools, are going to have an opportunity to show your fidelity and your commitment to letting the parents of this district know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but but the truth about the academic fraudulence of the TEA's student testing and accountability system. Period, paragraph, end of story. Starting in January, I will be launching an effort to establish direct communication with the parents of Katie ISD. There are many in the state of Texas who are more concerned that there may be books in the library about the menstrual cramps of Anne Frank than there are whether or not students can read about the menstrual cramps of Anne Frank. My goal is to help parents understand what you're not doing.
Thank you. Thank you. Laura Johanson, followed by Audrey Campos.
Hello, my name is Laura Johansen. I am a district taxpayer, mom of three Katy ISD students, a teacher, and a member of the Katy Texas AFT Union. This is my sixth year teaching fourth grade math and science in this district. Your elementary teachers are tired. We love our jobs, but we're overwhelmed by excessive meetings and the denial of our legally protected planning periods and lunch breaks. Each week, we're required to spend at least two prep periods in mandatory supervised group planning, in addition to data and ARD meetings. This leaves little time for actual preparation. One month this full year, I had only four prep periods for the entire month. Sadly, this is not uncommon. Texas law requires teachers to have 450 minutes of prep time every two weeks, with at least 45 consecutive minutes each day. The Attorney General and Texas Association of School Boards both confirmed that teachers cannot be required to attend meetings of any kind during this preparation time. Texas law also mandates teachers receive a 30 minute duty-free lunch each day. However, events like the first day of school, house bonding days, they often result in us missing both our prep time and our 30 minute duty-free lunch. This leaves us responsible for 20 plus students for for eight hours straight with no breaks. Your teachers are frustrated and tired. What will you do to ensure that we get our legally protected preparation time and lunch every day? Thank you.
Thank you. Audrey Campos. Followed by Anne Rossi.
Good evening, board. My name is Audrey Campos, and my daughter is a senior at Pato High School. She's also an officer of the dance company, which was put together by the school's former dance coaches. The dance company was very successful during the 23-24 school year. However, the dance coaches were replaced prior to the start of the current school year, and today I'm here representing the parents of the dance company's team members to ask the district for assistance in obtaining a partial refund from Pato High School for the $500 membership fee that we paid at the beginning of the year for 24 and 25 school year. We have gone back and forth with the school, but have not been able to obtain an acceptable resolution. The school abruptly decided to dismantle the team for the second half of the year, and after the parents complained about the negligence that our children were subjected to at times, our children have attended competitions without coaches being present, and they were also exposed to safety issues. As parents, we asked the school to assign a dedicated coach to the dance company, but instead the school decided to dismantle the team. And after much pushback, when the parents requested a refund for the second half of the year, the school tried to appease us by turning the dance company from a UIL performance team to simply another one of the regular dance classes that the school already has, and they have added a syllabus that includes reading and writing assignments along with a final exam that is not what was advertised to us as parents when they asked us to pay the $500 membership and Also, they do not get to keep their uniforms that we have already paid for we have asked for invoices which they have refused to give to us one of the parents was finally able to get an invoice from the Vendors that they claimed that they went to and the prices do not match so we are asking for assistance and being able to get a refund from the school thank you thank you and Russi
hi I am Ann Russi I have two KDISD students I'd like to address the ongoing witch hunt for library books this board believes are harmful to children I've I've never worried about my kids bringing home a library book that would hurt them, but I worry every day that they are losing access to stories that foster empathy and awareness about lived experiences that are different than their own because this board continues to narrow the scope of what is and is not acceptable for my children to read. Under President Perez and the current board majority, KDISD continues to systematically censor books that contain ideas, viewpoints, and perspectives the school board and their supporters find objectionable. As we speak, students are being denied access to over 400 LGBT books while they sit behind invisible curtains on our library shelves, waiting for review for compliance with the board's latest ban on books that promote gender fluidity. Mrs. Calhoun recently threw staff under the bus in an interview when she said, we're not banning any books, and to be fair, the board didn't actually do this. This was on the administration to remove those books. To be fair, the district is charged with implementing even the unconstitutional policies set by this board that continue to restrict and remove access to books many parents would prefer our children keep. Hopefully, over the next two trustee election cycles, we can start to fix the policies that you all have broken.
Thank you. Thank you.
7. Closed Meeting
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 Texas Government Code for the following purposes. Texas Government Code 551.071 and 551.129. Good evening.
8. Reconvene from Closed Meeting – The Board will reconvene from Closed Meeting.
The Board will now reconvene and open a meeting. Today is Monday, December 9, 2024 and the time is 8.08 p.m. The Board has just reconvened from closed meeting in accordance with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code. Any action arising from discussions in a closed meeting must be taken in an open meeting.
9.1 Career and Technical Education – Preparing Students for Their Future Careers Today
The first item that we have today is 9.1, Career and Technical Education, Preparing Students for Their Future Careers Today. And our presenter is Jeanne Kinnerum, Director of Career and Technical Education. Welcome. Good to have you. Jeanne Kinnerum, Director of Career and Technical Education, Welcome. Good to have you.
Thank you. Good evening, members of the school board, President Perez and Dr. Grigorski. In alignment with Strategic Design 2.3, identify and communicate personalized learning pathways for all students, I would like to highlight the invaluable role that Career and Technical Education, or CTE, plays in preparing our students for both industry careers and post-secondary education. CTE programs are designed to offer students hands-on, real-world experiences that go beyond traditional classroom learning. These programs bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, allowing students to gain the skills directly relevant to today's job market. it. I would like to start by sharing with you some important CTE data that shows the growth CTE has experienced here in Katy ISD. Currently we have 29,956 students enrolled in CTE which is 65% of grades 7 through 12 enrollment and we offer 44 programs of study for students to follow their passions. On here you can see that we have grown from 22,084 students in 2021-2022 to where we currently are at 29,956. I would like to point out that there was a dip in the enrollment number, I'm sorry, in the certification numbers taken and earned in 22-23. This was due to TEA changing the industry-based certification list that year, which resulted in several certifications being removed that our students had previously taken. When we are looking to add new programs within CTE, we utilize data from the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Board to ensure that the programs will support high wage, high growth, and in-demand careers within our local area. CTE offers all of the pathways in the top ten that you see there for the high-wage, high-growth, and in-demand CTE programs within the Houston Gulf Coast region. Although we do not offer energy, we do offer the skills and the knowledge that are covered within the energy program of study in our engineering, our manufacturing, and our agriculture, food, and natural resources programs. Now that I've shared with you some important CTE facts and the local workforce data, it's important to share how CTE equips the students in KDISD for those high wage, high growth, and in-demand fields. CTE prepares students with the practical skills needed for a career within those fields. Our students engage in labs, workshops, simulations, and internships. For instance, For instance, a student in one of our healthcare programs might practice patient care techniques in a simulated clinical environment, while our automotive students work on real vehicles, including our district white fleet. This hands-on approach ensures that our students are job ready upon graduation. Our CTE programs include opportunities for students to earn industry-based certifications. These certifications are not just pieces of paper. They are evidence of a student's readiness to meet industry standards. In our healthcare, education, real estate, culinary, and cosmetology programs, our students also earn the licensure needed to work in that industry. Our partnerships with local businesses and organizations further enhance this by providing curriculum guidance to our teachers and internship opportunities, apprenticeships, and real-world project experiences for our students. These These connections are vital for our students as they transition from high school education to employment or higher education. CTE also plays a crucial role in preparing students for their postsecondary education. The skills and knowledge gained through CTE programs can lead to an advanced study in a specialized field. For example, a student interested in engineering may start with the foundation in robotics and automation and then move on to university engineering programs with a solid practical background that many other students may not have. Additionally, CTE's focus on problem solving and critical thinking skills help prepare them well for college level course work. Several CTE programs allow our students to earn a level one certificate from Houston Community College. For example, our dual credit medical assistant program allows students to earn a level one certificate in medical scribe from HCC. And our real estate program allows our students to earn a level one certificate in residential real estate. These students who complete these programs actually graduate from HCC prior to graduating from KDISD. This year we started our first ever Associate Degree Program. This program is in partnership with Houston Community College and the University of Houston, Victoria. Students will be able to graduate from Katy ISD with their Associate Degree in Teaching from HCC and continue their studies at the University of Houston, Victoria where they They will complete their last two years towards their bachelor's degree and their teaching certification for elementary through eighth grade. These students will be able to do their observation hours and their student teaching right here in Katy ISD so that we can grow our own teachers. One of the most compelling aspects of CTE is how it engages our students. By exploring careers that they are passionate about, our students are motivated and focused. This engagement often leads to higher graduation rates and better alignment with their career goals. Furthermore, CTE helps students understand the various pathways available to them, whether that means entering the workforce directly or pursuing their higher education. They provide, in summary, CTE programs are a cornerstone of preparing our students for success. They provide hands-on experiences, industry certifications, and clear pathways to both career and higher education. By investing in and expanding these programs, we invest in our students' futures, ensuring that they are well prepared to thrive in a rapidly evolving world. Now I would like to share with you the first installment of a series of CTE marketing videos that will be shared with our junior high students prior to course selection. selection. These videos will highlight the great things happening in CTE across the district in our 44 programs of study. As we are getting ready to go into course selection, we are working closely with our campus counselors to ensure that they have the tools necessary as well as the information about the many opportunities within CTE that they can share with their students.
The The
Peninsula School District's Career and Technical Education Department is where learning goes beyond the classroom. With over 40 unique programs of study, there is a place for your passion in career and technical education. CTE lets you dive into learning real-world skills, participate in internships and simulated lab experiences, explore career opportunities, and earn industry-based certifications. These prepare you to succeed in higher education or immediately enter a high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand career in today's workforce. KDISD's CTE program is your pathway to a future you can be excited about. For more information about all the exciting CTE programs, go to the KDISD CTE website and click on CTE Programs of Study. You can also talk with your counselor during course selection.
I would like to thank you for your time and support of our CTE programs. And lastly, I wanted to share some important upcoming events that we have going on. Later this week, we have our progress show on December 12th and 13th. And then this spring in February, the 11th through the 15th is our KDISD livestock show. We'd love to have you come out and just see the kids in action. FFA is one piece of all the things that happen in CTE, but there's always great things happening within CTE. And now I'm available for any questions that you guys may have.
Thank you very much. This is outstanding. CTE is the future, and I think it's going to be emphasized and it's going to grow even more. Thank you. Thank you so much. Any questions?
Ms. Perez?
Mr. Champagne?
Ms. Thank you. Can you tell me about the show on December 12th? What time is it and can we go to it?
Ms. Yes, you are welcome to come. It starts, I believe, at 4 o'clock, but what I'll do is it's on the website, so I'll look at it and I'll make sure that we get that to you the exact times. Ms. Thank you.
Ms. You're welcome. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President.
And Ms. Grisella.
Thank you so much, Jeannie, for the presentation. I'd just, I like to look at the numbers, and I was curious if you had an answer to, like, the growth numbers from year to year. From 2021 and 2022 to the next school year was about a $1,400, sorry, excuse me, $1,400 student increase in enrollment. enrollment. And then the next school year there was a 2000 increase in student enrollment, huge growth. And then from last year to this year, the growth, we only added 1300 in enrollment. I was curious, is there a reason for that or can you speak to that?
So it's really, you know, we go out and we market and we let students know, but there's There's only a finite amount of students available to, I guess, go into the program. So sometimes we'll have students, you know, one year that they, we may have a group of incoming ninth graders that are more into the fine arts or athletics or something like that. And then the next year we may have students that are more likely to go into the CTE programs. programs, we are working to market and really get that information out there to the counselors. So I think that's part of the growth, but again, it's balancing the student interests.
Okay. I was just curious, and then is there any talk of GPA exemption and or adding 5.0 course availability at Miller? Because, right, almost all of those courses for a high achieving student, they're not 5.0 courses, correct?
They're not at Miller. We do have some 5.0 courses on the main campuses. A lot of that is in our engineering and our computer science. However, at Miller last year, we went in and implemented that students can GPA exempt the the third and fourth course, which those are our Miller courses. So students are able to GPA exempt those courses.
Excuse me, to make sure I understood, you said the third and fourth year of a competency, you mean?
So it's the third and fourth year of a CTE program. So you kind of think of it, their 11th and 12th grade. The last two. Yeah, the last two. They can GPA exempt those. Yes.
Okay, good. Because I think it's beautiful, the hands-on, the opportunities to intern as a high school student, hands-on experience i'd like to attract and have a balance right of that high achieving academic student to be able to get that um and i'm not so certain they're attracted to that yet because they're they're in a gpa game if you will hate to say that but that's some of our students not not all okay thank you very much you're welcome other questions
Just a quick one. What makes the TEA recognize certain certifications and others like what we have earned and then, you know, like out of 6,000, 4,400 are TEA? And is that, are we trying to narrow that gap or we have more TEA or how's that, what's the goal there?
Yes. So TEA, they were on a every two year, they were updating that list. A lot of it was based on lobbying and business and industry input. There were some that we have business and industry kind of shake their head as to why those are no longer on there. But it was those were ones where districts were I guess learned how to say oh I know how to get a lot of certifications and some districts were utilizing those for everybody and so those came off the list for example OSHA 30 industry will tell you all the time that's a very important certification but there were districts in the state that were getting every student that graduated an OSHA 30 so it came off the list same thing with Microsoft Office Specialist they pulled those off and those were the ones where that year we had that dip it was caused by the tea pulling those off and we're hoping that they're going to bring some things back on they've now switched to every five years that they're going to update that list and so we're hoping that you know there's not going to be as much movement on and off the list but we are we've made it our goal to try to make sure that all of our certifications are on the TEA list. However, there are some that we still deem valuable that are not on the list and those are ones that we've continued to support. I think the five-year thing sounds good because you
need to put your resources in certain certifications and they then they switch
it and drop it. Yes and a lot of districts were complaining about that.
Thank you. Thank you very much. Any other questions? Thanks a lot.
Thank you very much.
10. Consent Agenda
Okay, we're moving on to the consent, the full consent agenda. A consent agenda shall shall include items that are 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. Current consent agenda items shall be grouped together under one action items. 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. And this is per BE legal and BE local. Board members, are there any items that board members would like to remove from the consent agenda?
Mr. President.
Ms. Coven.
I'd like to remove items 10.1 and 10.2 for further discussion, please.
Anything else?
Mr. President, I'd like to remove 10.7 and 10.10 for further discussion.
10.7.
And 10.10.
Anything else?
Mr. President?
Do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda except 10.1, 10.2, 10.7, and 10.10?
Mr. President, I move that the Board of Trustees approves the consent agenda for items 10.3 through 10.14, except for 10.1, .2, .7, .10, which have been removed from the consent agenda.
Do I have a second?
I second.
Ms. Teamey seconded. Go ahead and press your keypad for your vote. And those consent agenda items are approved. We now move on to item 10.1.
10.1 Consider Board approval of naming Elementary #47 as recommended by the Naming Advisory Committee.
Do you have any discussion on 10.1?
Yes, Mr. President, that was my doing. So I have a question about the process for the naming facilities. Really, I was going through our policy, and I wanted to kind of dig into that a little bit more. We're looking at how we build out those committees. Those committees are built out by members of the community that will be impacted in that selection committee. Is that correct? Yes. Yes.
Okay.
The selection committee, if I'm reading from the policy, it shall be compromised of at least two board members appointed by the board president, the site administrator if identified, two parents from the attendance zone involved if the facility is a school, and two parents from the district improvement committee. committee. The committee shall be chaired by a superintendent or designee. The committee shall review all submitted names and support documentation and shall conduct background research to determine whether the names meet the requirements of this policy. And then it goes on further. I wanted to kind of get an idea when we built out these selection committees for because there's been some hubbub there was some a little bit on one of the last schools that we named because one family name wasn't included into a large sum of packets that you receive this is my first time serving on a naming committee so it was new to me as far as what the process is and so for For my committee specifically, we had, I think we had seven parents. Andrea, can you correct me if I'm wrong or not on that, Dr. Grooms?
There were more than the second committee off the top of my head. I can't verify if it's seven, but I will find out that number for you.
Okay. And then I guess that was my question is we had two parents from, more than two parents from the attendance zone. But what exactly is the district improvement committee number one? Can anybody tell me what that looks like?
The district improvement committee is the Katy improvement council, okay, which is comprised of parents Employees and representatives across the school district
Did we employ any of those people or volunteer any of those people to be on either of these committees? Yes, so we contact individuals from the committee.
What often happens with many of our committees, whether they're bond committees or naming committees or strategic planning committees, is that we will do a lot of outreach. A lot of folks will tell us that they want to be a part of the process. They'll commit to it, but then the day of the meeting, they may or may not show because life happens. Right. Commitments come up.
So versus the we had 47 that was the naming committee that I was on and so I was aware of how many parents were involved with that and there was a very robust discussion for 48 how many parents were included on 48? Well I will
tell you that two parents attended that day. Okay. Now the same number of parents are invited to every committee. But we only had two people show up for 48.
Okay. And how do you know or can we get a number for how many people are going to be serviced at 47 and 48 respectively? How many children? Yeah, the enrollment or what the enrollment numbers are going to be for 47 and 48.
Yes, ma'am. We can get that to you. Some estimates for next year?
Sure.
Yes, ma'am.
My understanding is it's going to be over 1,000 kids around about or right under. under. So I just wanted to clarify that. And then as well, the committee process. So just in case people aren't familiar, when you go into a committee process or selection committee process, you're listed with, there was at least 10 packets that we were given. And you see them in real time. So you're not given these packets prior to. Neither are any of the committee members. So you may have an idea of a name that may be thrown out there, but you won't actually know for sure until you get into that meeting. Why this is relevant is because in these selection packets, these can be anywhere from 20 to 30 pages long per name. and you're given two hours to decipher through 10 to 15 names and that's it and then you have to have discussion amongst you and whoever else is there so for my committee it would have been myself mr. Redmond dr. grooms and then the administrator the principal who has a discussion point and then parents and And then you have to all come to this consensus within two hours with 15 different names and packets that are at least, we'll just say 20 pages long. And you have to read through every single one of these packets to try to come to an educated decision on what best to name the school. I'm going to be totally honest. I didn't even read all the packets. There's no possible way. you would have to be able to speed read in order to read through every single packet. And my concern is with the process. How are we supposed to intelligently ourselves as the board members who are selected on that committee and then the board itself make those decisions? And then how are we supposed to expect community members to come in cold and read through mountains of paperwork without having a preconceived idea of who they're voting for prior to, which then makes it a little biased. So I'm a little concerned about the process as it sits, because I just don't see how it's reflective of how you can make a good decision, reflective of community values, reflective of what the community itself holds. How can you do that with two hours of a committee meeting? Mr. Perez?
Let me just suggest that for the future then we take a look at CW, the policy, and look at, you know, get feedback and look at how we can improve that process.
So but then we as a board are expected to vote on those recommendations that we can intelligently say, well, we can come to say we don't really know that the process was done well. We don't really know that that process was thorough. We know that they gave it their best shot, but they had two hours. And for one committee, they had two people. So I'm concerned about what that looks like, long-term longevity, of we're naming a facility. And names matter. Names carry weight. Names are important. Names are reflective of a community. names these schools are gonna last 50 40 years I don't know but those things matter so I'm concerned about how we move forward tonight voting with limited data understanding background data and limited community involvement mr. Perez
Yes. I've been on a naming committee also, and Mrs. Calhoun is correct. There is oftentimes 10 or so packets, but a lot of those times, those packets don't have, some do have 10, 12, 15 pages, but some do not. And so those, yes, you can read quickly through those. So they're not all, I mean, I wasn't on your committee, so I don't know, but in the past the ones I've been on weren't all, you know, 15 pages long. And that's how my experience was the few times I was on it in the past is that there's some of them you could read within a few minutes because there's like one page. So anyway, I think this is a process that has been developed by, I don't know whom, but Dr. Grooms and her committee have been running it. And so far, since I've been on the board, I haven't heard complaints about the process. And I haven't heard complaints about the naming of the specific buildings that have been named. Also, I was told as a new trustee that we should not name publicly who is on the naming committee. Even when I've complained about I haven't been on a committee, you know, with Mr. Perez here publicly, I've never stated that I wasn't on a naming committee to try to protect the integrity of that of that committee, so I Know that that's not really in a board policy or procedure, but it's something that I've tried to respect for the unanimity of the people that are serving on that on that committee because Then that way anger isn't isn't thrown their way frozen somebody something that's not getting named
Okay, I apologize Mr. Redmond for outing you for being on the naming committee. I think I wasn't trying to out you. I'm not definitely not asking for...
I think the trustees are on the naming committee. It's not private.
Okay, so just to be clear, I was not... Our trustees. Yeah, so okay, just to be clear, I was not asking for information pertinent to the private individuals that were serving on that community. That is not what I was saying. I wanted to know the number of individuals specific to the quality of discussion that could be had in order to make an educated decision reflective of the community.
Mr. President, any other comments? Yes, Mr. President. Ms. Guzzella. MS.
Thank you, Trustee Calhoun, for bringing this up. I have similar feelings. And I have – I was on the naming committee together with Trustee Fox for elementary number 48, and she's correct. We only had two parents involved in our first meeting, so that was only a committee of two board members, the two parents and the principals. We only had five. And then the second meeting, we do meet twice after the public forum. That is to then respond to what the public has brought to the forum. That was last week. We only had one parent show up, so it was then a committee of just four. So I think I want to suggest two improvements is one to allow time like Trustee Calhoun has alluded to or sorry, suggested that we need time ahead of time to read the packets. The parents and our committee had no idea who any of these people were. They were brand new to many of these names. names, whereas people who've been with the district for a very long time, like Trustee Fox, know many of the names already, and it makes it easier to skip over information. These packets were quite long. I experienced that last year and this year. I don't remember any that were just a few pages, but you're right, Trustee Champaign, that is a possibility. But they were pretty long. They're beautiful. They're wonderful. These are individuals of their legacies of Katy. We should give them due diligence and respect in the process So I think we need to give all participants in the committee time ahead to read through all that There's a lot of merit there and then the second suggestion for improvement is to require a minimum number of parents to be involved And into to make that a requirement for a quorum for the naming committee These parents are paramount, right? And these are parents of children that will be attending the school with the name on their building. And I know Dr. Grooms' team works very diligently to try to get them there. And like you said, Dr. Grooms, life happens. Emails get lost. It's very hard. And people are busy, but I think we need to do a better job of making sure we have enough participation in something that's very important. We do not want to give the implication or appearance that this is an inside job picking these names. We don't want to do that. We want to do due diligence, respect the process, respect all the applicants, and I think we can do that in a better way. This really does need to be addressed. We want to give the committee, the naming committee suggestions should have weight to it, and it should have credence and that comes from parents and when we only have one or two parents involved that's a problem I don't think it's it's
respectful of the process thank you any other comments mr. Perez I just want to echo I I think I see wisdom and maybe re looking at maybe is this something the policy committee could relook at and tighten some things up sure okay thank
Thank you.
Mr. Pritz. Ms. Fox. I too believe that the process could be improved and I have a recommendation for the policy committee. Having done this the last time I did this was I mentioned that the difficulty is that when you involve brand new parents moving to a brand new area for a brand new school, it's hard to know who's really involved and who will show up. And we've had this happen. there was I think you were on a naming committee where you didn't have four parents before and so Freeman didn't have four I think Nelson maybe but anyway, whatever it is it was it was if They want to be there They say yes They'll be there and then they don't understand the importance of it because they haven't been a part of our history, right? And so last time I said, I think we should involve people from the kick committee And under the more I think about it, I think that including maybe longstanding namesakes who know more of the people. Because these parents are incredible parents. They just moved here. They don't know anyone. They don't have any of the history. When I mentioned O.D. Tompkins as a name of a high school, you know, there's a high school with a person's name on it named O.D. Tompkins. They're like, who's that? Right. And so it's that. that so we do want the parents to have buy-in who are going to be at these schools but if you also had maybe a couple of namesakes and a couple of people from the kick committee which are people who are very involved throughout the district some pta volunteers some community people some business people maybe a couple of people maybe a person from the education foundation maybe from vips these people who have like long standing time here i think that would add to the robust discussion that we have. I find I knew every single person on the list of 48. I felt very honored to see so many great people there and while choosing the name is very daunting and very difficult I felt like we had robust discussion. We went through several iterations of ideas and that and while we want all the people to come just like our listening circles we invited hundreds of people and you wind up with a handful who actually show up on the night because something comes up and so we can't we can't police that because they're volunteers and they've willingly said they'll be there and then life happens they can't come but you can't take away the people who show up to do their part and and say, oh, by the way, go away, and hopefully the next time we plan this, you'll be able to be here. So maybe if we have more from the beginning and people understand the real importance of assigning names. Having said all that, I love that we have learned so much about our two nominees, our four nominees tonight. We've learned so much about them through the bios that have been read about them, through the forum that when all the people came and spoke such lovely things. And so we've heard such incredible stories about, I think they taught your children even, Mr. Perez, and one of them was the principal for my daughter. And knowing who they are, we've ended up with some really great legacies who will continue that namesake legacy that's so strong in KDSD. They built it. They've loved it. They've spent 70 years or more pouring into it and they will be there to encourage children and teachers and families as as these new schools open so In spite of not having a great number of people we certainly came up with some really great namesakes
Any other comments mr. President? I'll just point out one of the great things I think about our process right now is also the public forum So even when you have a small committee that's there, you also open it up to the public to come in and share their opinions on a bigger timescale, right? So when that committee, right, we presented our last board meeting almost a month ago, and then we have a public forum. And so I do believe it provides for additional feedback, too. I'm not saying we can't make the policy better, but that is a good point.
I agree. Were those packets made public? So the packets are not made public. So then, again, that's kind of one of the things that I'm pushing back on is these packets are not made public. So the public as a whole isn't aware unless one of the trustees or someone else would have knowledge prior to in order to alert the community as a whole. Hey, all of these people have been named. And if you want more information, I guess you would have to PIR it or request it at some point in order to get that. in order to make an intelligent agreement or rebuttal at a public forum. But when you open up a public forum, and it was a beautiful representation when we were at the public forum. I was at the Bhutanese, and it was beautiful. They had family there, and they were all celebrating, and it was very encouraging to see that. But you don't have necessarily you, how are you supposed to give the public the opportunity to speak into something if they don't have the information to intelligently speak into something that they don't know is happening? Like they know that the naming committee is happening, but they don't know that they necessarily have choice. So we just present the recommendations because ultimately this authority lands with the seven of us, not necessarily with the committee. The committee just gives us the recommendation. and then we say yay or nay based off of I guess the forum the forum and just the process that's the way it's always been done so that's the way it will always be
done I believe our policy is written if there's evidence of adequate support for the public of a specific name or in the absence of credible opposition for the name the committee shall submit the name and then it goes on further to say if public support is not evident enough during the public forum the committee may choose another name so i think the policy is written there for us to carry that out if we want a different policy we can change the policy how we work but if i were we're operating under our policy that we set forth at the very beginning of this process agree i think i think
we we could tweak the policy uh having said that um i'd like to call for a motion uh for the
approval of 10.1 do i have a motion mr president i move that we name elementary number 47 as recommended by the naming advisory committee uh al and ann boudny do i have a second second
all is in favor press your favor or oppose press your keypad The vote passes 7-0. Congratulations. Do I have a motion on item 10.2?
10.2 Consider Board approval of naming Elementary #48 as recommended by the Naming Advisory Committee.
Mr. President.
Ms. Fox.
I move the board approve the name of elementary number 48 as recommended by the naming advisory committee James and Mitzi Cross Elementary. Go ahead and vote
by pressing your key. Second. The motion is carried by a vote of five to two. Congratulations. Thank you so much.
10.7 Consider Board adoption of a Resolution to cast Katy Independent School District's votes for the Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors.
Okay, we're moving on to, we have voted on the rest of all the consent agenda except for now we move on to item 10.7. And that's the considered board adoption of a resolution to cast Katy Independent School District's votes for the Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. And do we have any comments on that, questions?
Yes, Mr. President. I'm the one who pulled it. I just wanted to appeal to the board. I would like to amend the agenda item. item. This is a agenda item with a ballot attached to split our votes 50-50, more or less, with 50% to Ms. Dixon, Martina Dixon, 50% to Bill Frazier. I'd like to amend that to give all 145 votes that the district has to Bill Frazier. I am a Harris County resident. I believe Ms. Calhoun is as well. I'm not sure about Mr. Redmond, but I do know people within the county. I've done my legwork. I've talked and curious about support within the county for Bill Frazier. I've gotten a very good positive feedback from many people in the county. Ms. Dixon has done her time on this board. She's been on this board for four years. In addition to sitting on numerous boards, she is a busy lady. And I just think it's a nice time to have a fresh set of eyes. it's it's it's the way of the country at this moment to have fresh set of eyes that are qualified to do this work I think Bill Fraser is a great candidate I'd like to propose that please is that a motion you might as a motion I'm
making yes there a second second I'm sorry I'd like to make a motion also that we split the votes between Martina Dixon and mr. Frazier that would be my
motion so you're second okay so we've the motion the emotions been amended now
to I am in the motion first yes so she did she's second is putting it back to
where it was right but she's she's you're up you're amending you're amending
So I guess we vote on her motion first and then the next one.
You're amending her motion.
If it doesn't pass.
If it doesn't pass. We vote on the first amendment. Well, no.
No, you vote on the amendment.
I would like to have two motions, and we've had this before. We can vote on two different motions.
Mr. President, it works like a ladder. So you vote on the amendment first. Right. And then you go back and vote on the motion. But the motion was not made to approve it. The motion was made to allocate the votes.
So you're making it you're making an initial motion to split it to let me took 100% to one correct. Yes, okay We have a second from this Calvin
Okay, mr. President a boat. Yeah, I meant go ahead miss long discussion. So I oppose this vehemently because Bill Frazier has run for many Multiple times in his community and he's never won his community does not support him. He has never won an election outright right so now he needs uh all of our votes if his own community doesn't support him i don't want to take kdsd's reputation into that and support him when he might not earn this vote either mrs dixon has served uh successfully on this board she's the chair she was approved to be the chair by the the people who serve on the board. So it would be the same as us voting in a president. So she and her school district did not meet the deadline to put it on their agenda. It's why she didn't, Mrs. Cuzzella said they didn't vote for her. They didn't vote for anyone because they missed the deadline to put the vote on the agenda in time. So the city of Humboldt voted for her. She has support across the Houston area. She's done a phenomenal job. She's very successful. And she has experience, and I don't think you rob experience on a board that oversees so many dollars in the Harris County area. So I would be okay with splitting them, but I'd also be okay with giving 100% of the votes to someone who's a proven leader, Martina Dixon.
Mr. President, I just wanted to add something else for Martina, and I had said this before, but if you just look at her resume, it's all about her accomplishments. on on different boards and in particular she hcat was top workplace award 2023 2022 2021 2020 and i believe those are all the years that she chaired it i don't know how you could you could be better i don't know how you could be better and i don't always believe that that voting for changes for change sake is necessarily better if you already have something that's working and that is good why take a chance and and and lose the standing of that yeah respond to that
mr. president any other comments yeah just just first of all not everyone's happy with the appraisal district of Harris County I don't know who gave her that award but if you talk to taxpayers not so happy about appraised values I don't think the district has anything to worry about with a CPA joining a board board. And you know, Ms. Dixon is involved in Umbilice D. There's a case against the superintendent, a legal case where she's in the minority supporting, I believe it was the superintendent is involved in a conflict of interest case. Don't want to get into the details, but there is her involvement in that. You might want to read about that. I'll just mention that. And again, you know, sometimes when you're sitting on many, many, many boards. I wonder if you have time to do a good job. And so I just would like to suggest someone different. Have you ever met her?
I've spoken with her over the phone, yes. Okay, so she reached out to me. She's one of those kind of people that there are people in this world that can do many, many things and do them well. And so I believe that she is one of those people, and she's proven that. so I haven't seen mr. Frazier proven himself successful on boards and maybe as a CPA maybe so maybe in his business but I have and I'm not saying that he wouldn't be good I just haven't seen any proof of that based on his resume I've
met him multiple times in the Harris County groups I've spoken with people that are on the Harris County appraisal district board right now who would really like to have him another set of eyes who can read financial documents So have you talked to other people that he's served on boards with?
Maybe.
Because he doesn't listen. Mr. Perez?
Ms. Tebe?
I move that we vote on Trustee Kozella's proposed amendment.
Mr. Graham? Second. May I have a clarifying question, please? Because Mr. Graham wasn't in here when some of this was happening.
I was listening, so that's why.
Okay, because we have two motions. Sometimes you give us some clarifying.
So my understanding is that the original motion was made by?
Ms. Grisella.
Ms. Grisella, and got a second.
On myself.
And then after that, Ms. Fox made, Ms. Champagne made a motion to amend, which Ms. Fox then seconded. So the way that this works, we have to vote on the amendment before we can then vote on the main motion. So we can vote on mrs. Champaign's amendment first
Yours is a main motion you have the main your main motion is to put a hundred percent for Bill Frazier And then she amended the motion to split it 50-50, right?
So the way that it works we have to work backwards right the main motion So we have to vote on the amendment first and then we vote on this. That's what I'm saying. Miss Ms. Kuzela's name. Okay.
Okay, so the vote, what's before us is...
Mr. President, a clarifying question. I'm curious. Can you amend something that's the same as the original board agenda item?
It's already there.
She didn't read that.
We haven't made a motion.
You didn't make that motion as it is written, Mrs. Kuzela, for it to be written. Does it make it a motion? You made a motion for Mr. Frazier to get 100%.
Just stop for a second. The first motion, the only motion we've had is yours to put 100% to Bill Frazier. So that's the first motion. The second one is an amendment to that motion to split it 50-50. So we have to vote on the amendment to the motion before we vote on the main motion.
I'm sorry clarifying question with from the get-go before I make any motion the way it stands is what dawn is
Proposing so but the way it doesn't stand that way. We just that's how we
One second that's the way we that's the way we the attachment to the agenda item is the way you're suggesting
That's why I'm question. We never voted If we haven't voted on on that notice it never was voted It's not it's just how we it's just how we said fill out the piece of paper. Okay, so we said again
The only motion will only have one motion That's miss gazelle's motion to put a hundred percent behind one candidate and she got a second which requires a vote However before we voted there was a motion to amend which also got a second to split it 50-50 so we have to vote the documents that are that are in your board packet have no bearing on the motions that exist in front of this board right at the motion and amendment that exists so let's put on the amendment first and then we can vote on
the main motion mr. president mr. Fox to be clear mr. Graham mrs. Kuzela did say I want to amend the motion that's here so she said I want to amend the motion Right, and I understand her language was that but but she means that the only motion that has been made is hers It said amended, but it's the main motion. Okay, okay, so
We're gonna vote on the amendment to the motion and that amendment is Is amending the motion so that instead of a hundred percent going to Bill Fraser, it's split 50-50, correct? And so let's we should vote on the we're voting on the amendment press your cue pad Okay, the amendment fails three to four And now we're going to vote on the main motion which is to put all the votes on Bill Frazier Press her keypad to vote. So that motion passes 4-3.
10.10 Consider Board approval of a contract to the build out of the Merchants Way building.
And now we'll move on to item 10.10, which is to consider Board approval of a contract to build out the Merchant's Way building. Our presenter is Lisa Kastman. Do we have any questions regarding 10.10? Any questions regarding that, Ted? Somebody pulled that out.
I did. I don't have questions. Was there going to be a present? You weren't going to. Lisa's not talking anymore. Okay. I'll just keep it brief. I want the board to consider, as with all bond projects, once we spend the bond monies for a certain project, building of a school, build out of a floor, that then becomes in all years after part of our operating budget. So we need to be really careful with how we spend bond money, knowing that that will become part of our operating budget in all years after, subsequent years. I want to first appreciate and thank very much for the district, these wonderful people who are very skilled at diligently working to work with this difficult bid to get it down to a respectable number and I think that did happen and I respect that however I want to make two comments first of primary importance is as what the voters approved and I've said this before I just want to say it again that the voters approved 5.1 million for this build out of merchants weight floor and I want to respect that we are not only asking just a little bit bit more, which happens. That's part of the economy. Things change. But we're talking over double. So the voters approved 5.1, but we're proposing to approve 10.9 or thereabouts. So I think it would be nice to have more of a phased approach. I would suggest a phased build to where we could use what the voters gave us and really respect that and not go all in and overspend by over double. And this is a build out. I'm fully behind the behavioral transition program that's going to affect the entire district. It affects teachers who wanna teach and all the students who are left behind in the classroom that's no longer disturbed by that one child. And it helps the child who needs help, but we're also building out 40% of that. No, sorry Yeah, 40% of that floor for a Katie plus Program that is voluntary enrollment Right parents have a choice To enroll children into that It's voluntary and and on top of it. We're already Serving those children. We are ready. Dr. Coffee very well explained We are already meeting all of their requirements and what that program needs so
I'll leave it with that. Thank you any other comments. Yes, mr. Mr. President. I have a few things to say about this The 18 plus program is And I've said as much as miss Kuzilla has said this before I've also counteracted and said this before of course these children are already serviced by us because that's the law so we are required to do that so nobody ever thinks that we're not but they do that in every single school district in the state of Texas so that is the law what we have a chance to do now is to do something better than everybody else that we can provide a service to these people that are 18 to 21 or maybe 22 years old that they couldn't get probably in most other school districts and that makes us a go-to district that would be just one other thing that makes us a go-to district and I love the way the person who wrote the email said that we have facilities for everyone else we have a beautiful AG barn that cost millions and millions of dollars to service those kids we have a two two stadiums we have all we have the cte miller career we have all these different things to service all the special needs of all the special children that we have and this 18 to 21 to 22 year olds are are in a are in a age group that could really benefit the most of of most adults young adults in a program like that so that a lot of them could be come people that you know to contribute to society or however and so I don't think there's a price tag and I just also want to just say that the vast majority of the people that I have heard from and that we have all heard from here and we've all gotten the emails support this program they are also people who voted on the five and a half million and they don't seem to be bothered by trying to support this delicate group of people for more money that would be a boundless benefit to them and to all of our society forevermore
any other comments mr president just one brief comment that the the kd plus program is 165 students and FFA football games those are multi thousands of students that are that are service so I just that's well help FFA used to be 165 you know FFA
used to be 165 and the bottom of that floor is not going to be big enough to hold thousands of thousands of kids like FFA it's only going to be made to fit so many kids you do have to qualify for Katie plus okay any any other comments
I would like to make one comment.
Our voters voted for Prop A, which was $722 million. And so with the number of projects that are presented in Proposition A, anyone who's ever done any kind of construction project would understand that there are contingencies and things built into the project when there are overruns out of, I mean, just very quickly I'm counting at least 20, 25, maybe 30 projects that there will be bond savings, there will be additional. So I mean, the idea that we would be moving against something people voted for or voted against, I may have misunderstood it, but very clearly, technically, legally, our people voted for Prop A, $722 million that included a behavioral health center. Okay.
Can I respond to that? The bond package, though, you're correct, technically they voted for a huge Prop A, but on our website from KDISD, we did have a bond package that specified what the projects would be and a price tag on that. So that's what I'm referring to.
Okay. I'm going to move that we approve the contract to build out the Merchant's Way building for the 10.9 million final price that we have. Do I have a second second? Mr.. President any other discussion yes
so When you recommend to phase out phase in phase out whatever you called it mrs.. Cozella They proved that that would cost more money, so you're in favor of spending more money on it I'm I don't understand that you always say you like to save money correctness. Oh, it's also the fact that you you judge people and that you determine who is, who deserves to have the high quality services that we offer in KDISD and that you would choose to vote against 18 plus students because you want the behavior kids to be out of those classrooms so other kids so the kids you deem worthy get to order point of order people that is point of
order it is what is the point of relevance I'm not following relevance elephant see it's a personal attack point of order relevancy and personal attack I'm just using her word you're not I am he never said any of that yes
okay so I have made a motion and I have a second and I'd like to vote obvious look press the keypad and we'll vote on the motion motion passes seven one six one so ten point one oh is approved everyone heard her words not about it miss Fox mr. president okay that's
11.1 Donated Items to the Katy Independent School District
that's we're going we're going on to information items and the board the the board have received the donated items list anything any comments or questions on the donated items list.
11.2 Board Committee Updates
Board committee updates, 11.2. I think we had one board meeting, one committee meeting here recently. After the last work-study meeting, it was the legislative advocacy meeting. Does anyone have a report? Ms. Calhoun, Mr. Redmond? We did.
We, legislative advocacy, met with our hired lobbyist for the district We met for about an hour. We asked a lot of questions about what this was going to look like for the upcoming legislative session. We do have a breakfast scheduled. Last I checked on my calendar, that is taking place tomorrow. No, Wednesday. Wednesday morning. We will be there meeting with representatives or their staff members for the representatives. I don't think any of the actual representatives are going to be there, last I checked. I think they're just sending their staff. So we'll be talking to them about our priorities that we've set and what that looks like moving forward, what their plans are for the next legislative session, and what we can hopefully expect on funding measures, on safety measures, disciplinary measures, different areas that we set those priorities on. And so we'll be working in collaboration with the lobbyist as well as those staff members from the representatives
Great. Thank you. Mr. President. Miss Amy. Just thank you to the Legislative Advocacy Committee Thank you for all you're doing appreciate y'all
Thank you Madam Secretary, did we capture any requests from the board for information? No Okay, our next
12. Future Meetings
Next meeting is a work study meeting on Monday, January 13, 2025. And then a regular board meeting is January 21, 2025. And the board will now convene and close meeting as authorized under Section 551.001 of the
13. Closed Meeting
Texas Government Code for the following purposes. Texas Government Code 551.0821 and 551.074. It is necessary for everyone to please clear the room as the Board will convene and close meeting in this room. Merry Christmas everybody.
14. Reconvene
Do I have a motion on the level 3 FNG grievance?
Mr. President.
Mr. Redmond.
I move that the Board of Trustees denies the level 3 FNG grievance, thereby upholding the decision of the level one and level two hearing officer but i also recommend that we extend the remedy offered on level two throughout the end of the school year until which time residency would be able to establish for the following school year
so just just to uh just to clarify the motion if you don't mind we're denying the level three grievance, FNG grievance. However, we are allowing extension until the end of the year to remain in KDIC at which time they had to reestablish residence as required
by KDIC. Clarification, that is until the end of May, the intended school year, not 2024, 2025
school year. And no McKinney-Vento, because we're denying the FNG grievance. Okay. And then the motion is seconded? Second. Okay, we'll go ahead and vote now. And the motion is carried, which means that we've denied the F&G grievance and with the addition that we made. There being no further business for this meeting, this meeting is now ended.
Official documents
About the underlying data (6 notes)
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Motions and votes
Recorded actions
MOTION 001 · AGENDA 10.1
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the name of Elementary #47 as recommended by the Naming Advisory Committee.
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 10.2
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the name of Elementary #48 as recommended by the Naming Advisory Committee.
5 Yes · 2 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | No |
| morgan-calhoun | No |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 003 · AGENDA 10.3
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the District's December 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 004 · AGENDA 10.4
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the District's September and October 2024 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 005 · AGENDA 10.5
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the District's investment policies and strategies.
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 10.6
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees adopts the Resolution casting the District's allotted votes for the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District's Board of Directors.
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 10.7
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees adopts the Resolution casting the District's allotted votes for the Harris Central Appraisal District's Board of Directors.
4 Yes · 3 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | No |
| lance-redmon | No |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | No |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 008 · AGENDA 10.8
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve of Stop Loss Insurance Coverage for Health Plan Year 2025.
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 10.9
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve the course additions.
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 10.10
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards a contract to Division One Construction, LLC for the renovations to the build out of the Merchants Way building in the amount of $9,099,000 and approves the total project cost not to exceed $10,936,445.
6 Yes · 1 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | No |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 011 · AGENDA 10.11
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards a contract to VLK Architects, Inc. for design services necessary for the construction of Elementary School #49.
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 10.12
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves Amendment Two to the Stewart Builders, LLC. contract related to the additions and renovations at Cinco Ranch High School for the Guaranteed Maximum Price of $7,185,911.
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 10.13
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the superintendent or his designee to execute an electricity supply contract on behalf of Katy Independent School District for a term of up to 120 months, as long as the price complies with a benchmark effective energy rate of below $0.065 (exclusive of transmission and distribution costs, as well as any charges related to PUC assessments and taxes).
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 10.14
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves of the minutes for the October 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 015 · AGENDA 14.1
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees denies the Level Three FNG grievance in FNG 24-025, thereby upholding the decision of the Level One and Level Two hearing officer. Not Present at Vote: Rebecca Fox
6 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |