Good evening Mr. Perez. President Perez is on his way back from a funeral so he should be here
Katy ISD · Regular Board Meeting Agenda
Katy ISD Regular Board Meeting, January 27, 2025
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In this meeting
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- 0:02 to 9:19 1. Call to Order
- 9:19 to 20:25 3. Recognitions
- 20:25 to 27:15 4. Oath of Office
- 27:15 to 48:21 5. Public Comment/Citizen Participation
- 48:21 to 48:43 6. Closed Meeting
- 48:43 to 49:39 7. Reconvene from Closed Meeting – The Board will reconvene from Closed Meeting.
- 49:39 to 51:20 8. Consent Agenda
- 51:20 to 51:46 9. Information Items
- 51:46 to 52:11 10. Future Meetings
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1. Call to Order
shortly but just I wanted to go ahead and get us started. Noting that a quorum is present I hereby
call this regular board meeting of the Board of Trustees of Katy Independent School District to
order today is Monday January 27 2025 and the time is 5 p.m. dr. Gorg or ski
will you verify that we are in compliance with the provisions of the
Texas Open Meetings Act with regards to the notice for this meeting mr. Timmy I
do confirm we're in compliance with the provisions of the Texas Open Meeting Act
for our meeting today and we are ready to start with our Pledge of Allegiance
We have a pledge leader who's with us today from Creech Elementary, a fifth grader, Grady Brzezinski, Sally Gupton, principal, parents out there as well, Matthew and Leslie Brzezinski, and a sibling, second grade brother, Austin.
Students' favorite or special interests, baseball, wakeboarding, and fishing, favorite subjects, math and science.
A couple of nice quotes from his teachers, from Ms. Pratt, Grady's second grade teacher.
As teachers, we are charged with teaching children, while in our second grade classroom, Grady Brzezinski taught me and continues to do so.
He leads through his intentional actions. Grady is humble, resilient, and takes correction.
He is a problem solver and strives to be the best he can be, but not before he helps those around him to be the best they can be.
Our community is better because Grady loves and leads well.
Remember his name. He is a true KDISD legacy.
legacy and from Mrs Perez fifth grade math and science teacher Grady is a very sweet conscientious
student he is intelligent always does his best work and when things get hard he is a good friend
to have as classmates and a caring older brother he excels in math and science and is an avid
baseball player we love having Grady in class and I look forward to all the wonderful things he will
accomplish in his life but before we bring Grady up we are going to recognize our Taylor High School
orchestra or part of the orchestra which is off to my left over here they're
going to be doing the national anthem and principal out there is dr. Melinda
stone and our music directors Clinton capshaw and Gracie I've been I've Amir
students out there 11th grader Jacob ma 11th grader Alex Kwan 9th grader Evan
Lee and 10th graders Zachary Wojcik and a quote from our music director the
students before you are active in the James E Taylor high school orchestra
They are exemplary members of the Philharmonic String Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra, commonly known as THSSO.
On behalf of the entire THS Fine Arts Department, I'd like to thank KDISD administration and the school board for their unwavering support of fine arts education and helping to keep KDISD a destination district for the arts.
So, let's go ahead and bring up Grady.
We'll do our pledge, and then we'll hear from the string.
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 thee, Texas, one state, under God, one and indivisible.
Thank you.
© BF-WATCH TV 2021
Thank you.
Thank you.
And Grady, you can come back up.
You have a few prepared remarks for us.
Good evening, President Perez, board members, and Superintendent Gagarski.
My name is Grady Brzezinski.
Thank you for coming out here today.
I also thank you for what you do for Creech and all the other schools in my district.
I have been a Creech Comet for six years and I would like to talk about my experience.
My favorite week in the whole school year is the week right before Christmas break.
We get to wear certain clothes on certain days. Plus a tradition
we've been doing for 25 years is gingerbread day where we get to build a gingerbread house with a loved one.
I also have some other traditions including Grinch slime day with the kindergartners, book character parade, field day,
Harlem Wizards, Student Council, and end-of-the-year relay races, and Safety
Patrol. Overall, my favorite things about Creech are the teachers and staff. All
the teachers and staff make Creech a wonderful school. I want to thank my
current teachers, Ms. Perez and Ms. Morey. I would especially like to thank Ms.
Gupton for her leadership and creativity, Ms. Pratt for her kindness, generosity,
and humor, Ms. Ortiz for her kindness and teaching me in the past and my brother
now miss Ortiz for miss Falk for sweetness and also teaching me and my
brother in the past and miss Stormer for continued support of our awesome school
thank you for inviting me here today I look forward to many more years in KTISD
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, gentlemen.
3. Recognitions
this time we're gonna move on to some recognitions portion of our meeting here
and our presenter tonight at this time I'd like to introduce Brandon Webb
director of communications for the recognitions portion of our meeting some
of you might be seeing Brandon for the first time for a long time you saw Craig
over there but before Christmas you saw Craig retired and Brandon has stepped in
to take that position so welcome I think this is your first board meeting with us
Brandon so welcome. Thanks so much as a former cellist that did my heart some good tonight.
Thank you all. Good evening trustees, Superintendent Grigorski.
Governor Greg Abbott has issued a proclamation citing January 2025 as school board recognition
month. School boards play an important role in public education governance and policy.
You are instrumental in providing governance and oversight as you serve the never-ending
needs of students, staff, and families.
In honor of School Board Recognition Month, campuses have sent notes of appreciation for
our trustees.
At this time, I'd like to introduce Mayor Dusty Thiele, along with Mayor Pro Tem Chris
Harris and Council Members Rory Robertson and Gina Hicks from the City of Katy who have
have joined us tonight to present a proclamation in honor of school board recognition month
all right board members uh really appreciate y'all having us here tonight and
as elected officials we all know sometimes the job's a thankless job but we know y'all are doing
what you do to serve the community and we really appreciate each and every one of you so yes as
he said governor abbott did say this is a school board recognition month which is january 2025.
also before i get started i'm sorry i did forget i want to say each one of us sort of have a
connection to education and to kd isd first both my parents were retired school teachers
teachers. Both my daughters went from Katy Elementary, Katy Junior High to Katy High
School and the education they got was tremendous. I have here Councilmember Rory Robertson who's
currently a school teacher with Katy ISD as is his wife, Becky. I have Councilmember Gina
Hicks who is a former school teacher. I have Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris whose mother serves
on the school board of Navasota and has for how many years?
16.
16 years.
40 years.
40-year retired teacher.
40-year retired teacher.
His wife is also a teacher with KDISD, and Chris even substitutes sometimes.
Yes, yes, it's a great experience.
So anyway, we all have a connection.
And we all appreciate all that you do up here for our education.
So, whereas the mission of public schools is to meet the educational needs of all children
and to empower them to become competent, productive contributors to a democratic society
society and an ever-changing world.
Whereas the 2025 School Board Recognition theme is Leadership for Tomorrow's Texas.
Whereas local school board members are elected by their community members to do what's
best for students.
Whereas local school board members work closely with parents, educational professionals, and
other community members to create the educational vision we want for our students.
and whereas local school board members are responsible for ensuring the structure that provides a solid foundation for our school system,
and whereas local school board members are strong advocates for public education
and are responsible for communicating the needs of the school district to the public and the public's expectations to the district,
now therefore I, Dusty Thill, Mayor of the City of Katy, do hereby declare the City of Katy's appreciation to the members,
members, the Katy Independent School District School Board of Trustees and proclaim the
month of January 2025 as School Board Recognition Month in the City of Katy.
I urge all citizens to join me in recognizing the dedication and hard work of local school
board members and working with them to mold an education system that meets the needs of
both today's and tomorrow's children.
And witness whereof I have here unto, set my hand and cause to seal the City of Katy,
Texas to be a fix this 27th day of January 2025 signed dusty Phil mayor so
thank you all very much for your service
Thank you.
Mayor Pro Tem Thiel.
Thank you, Mayor Thiel.
Mayor Pro Tem Harris and Council Members Robertson and Hicks, thank you for being here.
Now it's my pleasure to introduce Ms. Corinza Murdoch, President of the Katy ISD Council of PTAs, for a special presentation.
I'm a little slow. I broke my toe.
So bear with me.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, school board directors and officials.
I am Corinna Murdoch, KD Council President,
and I'm here to present our council and local board of PTAs for School Board Appreciation Month.
As we know, the mission of our public schools is to educate all of our children,
and that of the council of PTAs and your local PTAs is to work together
to make sure our children have a voice and that they are heard and they have a
pinch of all the potential they can reach while they're in our care and Katie
ISD count Council of PTAs is proud to be a part of our district and to work
alongside the school board of directors we would like to declare our appreciation
to the members of the Katie ISD school board in honor of school board
recognition month with a book donation from our local PTAs I asked everybody
join me in recognizing the dedication and hard work of our local scoreboard
members and in working with them to develop an education that meets the
needs of both today's and tomorrow's children thank you for your dedication
your work your time and commitment to our students and community
We'll do a photo real quick.
Do you want us to come down or stand?
No, no, no.
Come down? Okay.
Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Murdoch, and our wonderful parents who invest in our students by partnering
with campuses and the district to support educational excellence trustees
we're grateful for your time your dedication on behalf of Katy ISD
students and staff this concludes the recognitions portion of this evening's
meeting thank you well that concludes what Brandon had I've got one more
recognition up here and I'd like to introduce and recognize our new campus
athletic coordinator or head football coach for Taylor High School Chris Babin
where you at Chris welcome Chris did you bring some folks out with you tonight
Awesome.
Well, welcome aboard.
Thank you.
Thank you for coming on.
Do we have any scouts in the audience this evening?
Oh, do you want to come up and tell us your name and your troop number
and what badges you're working on?
Come on up.
Victor is going to be so jealous.
The one time, yes.
My name is Noah Hutcherson.
I'm in troop 106 and I'm working on the communications merit badge.
Great, great.
And where do you go to school?
Tides Junior High.
Okay, great, great.
Are you enjoying the badge you're working on right now?
Yes, ma'am.
Oh, good, good.
Do you have a favorite badge so far that you've completed?
Probably life saving.
Life saving?
Yes.
Oh, that's important.
Wow.
So maybe you want to do something in the medical field.
It's a little early, but just to be thinking about that.
Well, thank you for being here.
You're welcome.
We're glad you're here and thank you for all that you do in the Boy Scouts.
Appreciate you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Uh-huh.
We don't have any oath of office?
Yes, we do.
Okay.
4. Oath of Office
Okay.
Okay.
Okay, Chief Gaw, I think this year you're going to be doing some oath of office for our police force.
Board of Trustees, Dr. Gorski, thanks for having us tonight.
Tonight we proudly, we're going to swear in three officers.
And before we get to that, we'll go ahead and have Camp Castillo here read their bios, and then we'll proceed with swearing them in.
Good evening Board Members, Dr. Gwagorski. I'd like to start with Officer Gerson Argueta.
He was born in Silver Springs, Maryland and moved to Houston, Texas and surrounding areas until he graduated from Cypress Lakes High School in 2016.
Officer Argueta has a wife, Cynthia,
who have been married since 2014.
They have two children, Avery 10 and Jayden 8.
They have called Katie home for over 10 years now.
Officer Argueta worked as a licensed jailer at the Harris County Jail for over four years
before finding Katie ISD.
In 2023, while working at the Harris County Jail,
he joined the Houston Community College Police Academy part-time.
Officer Argueta graduated from the Police Academy in July of 2024
and Officer Arguello hopes to continue to learn and grow with the Katy Independent School District
and is excited to see what the future holds.
Next is Officer Daniel Patterson.
Officer Patterson was born in Venezuela and raised in Katy, Texas.
He is a graduate of Seven Lakes High School in 2010.
He then moved to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech University, earning his degree in sociology in 2014.
Officer Pattison and his wife Valerie, who teaches for KDISD, have two children, Jaylee, 18, and Ariah, 8.
They have called KD home for over five years.
Before joining KDISD, Officer Pattison worked in the oil field and insurance sales.
In 2024, he became a police cadet with KDISD.
He completed the Houston Community College Police Academy in September of 2024.
Officer Patterson looks forward to growing with Katy ISD Police Department and is eager to serve his community.
And our last officer to die is Mark Zapata.
Officer Zapata is a native of Texas who was born and raised in Houston and grew up in the Alief School District, graduating from Alief Elsek High School in 2006.
in 2006.
Officer Zapata worked in the workforce for a few years before making the best decision
of his life by joining the United States Army and becoming an infantryman.
Officer Zapata served his country with valor, having deployed to Afghanistan for a year
where he earned numerous awards, including an Army Achievement Medal, Army Accommodation
Medal for acts of heroism, meritorious service, and outstanding achievement.
Officer Zapata has also earned the combat infantry badge for actively engaging in ground combat with the enemy.
Officer Zapata retired from the United States Army, moved back to Texas where he became settled here in Katy.
Officer Zapata worked for Katy ISD in maintenance and operations department as part of the grounds team.
In 2023, shortly after, he saw an opportunity and became a security guard with KDISD.
Officer Zapata then applied for the level three position as a security guard and then moved on to become a cadet for KDISD.
Officer Zapata made his intention clear to be can staff that one of his life goals was to become a police officer and to serve and protect and help his family and community in which he calls home.
home. Officer private got the opportunity and went to the HCC police academy where he graduated this
past September. Officer Zapata and his wife Angelica have six children. Roy 21, Andrew 20,
David 18 who is a student at Pato High School, Michelle 13 who is a student at Nelson Junior High,
Isaiah 11 who goes to McIlwain Elementary and Daniel 7 who also goes to McIlwain.
Officer Zapata hopes to continue and learn to grow with the KDISD Police Department and is excited to see what the future holds for him and the department as a whole.
Most importantly, Officer Zapata gives all the glory of his achievements, accomplishments, and success to the glory of God, for without Jesus he would not be here today.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
5. Public Comment/Citizen Participation
At this time, the Board of Trustees will give members of the public an opportunity to speak
in accordance with KDISD Board Policy BED Local.
As defined by the Board Policy,
speakers who sign up by 2 p.m. on Monday, January 27, 2025,
provided their first name 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,
and speakers that signed up to speak on non-agenda items will be allowed this
the same if a speaker is not finished speaking at the end of their allotted
time the audio will turn off if speakers wish to share written material with the
board please provide 10 copies to the secretary for board services before the
meeting begins for board members the superintendent the chief communications
communications officer and pertinent record. If a speaker has not attempted to solve a matter
administratively through proper channels as stated in board policy, the presiding officer's designee
shall advise the speaker to seek resolution through the appropriate policy. Finally, pursuant
to Texas Government Code sections 551.074 and 551.0821, the board will not permit the presentation
presentation of personally identifiable information regarding a student and 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 grievances, FNG local,
local, DGBA local, CKE local, or GF local. Our speakers will be called forward in the order
they signed up to speak. We will start with agenda item speakers. So Tamara McFarland,
would you please come up to the mic? Thank you. Hello, everyone. So I wanted to bring up
agenda item 8.14 first regarding the election I wanted to say that I observed the Katy ISD
election last year and I witnessed several serious election code violations and as a Fort Bend County
central count election judge I reported that to the Secretary of State there was no ballot security
or chain of custody as required by Texas law.
Myself and another observer were met with hostility by the district contractor.
So I would like to know if this election will be secured
and if it'll be conducted by an election official
or more secure party or an election office perhaps like Fort Bend County and
I'd also like to know if there could be tamper proof seals placed on each ballot
box before it leaves a poll center as required by law and that no one is to
cut the seals of the tabulators as they did in this election without any
oversight there must be a ballot board and observers present so just want to
make sure that those things are in place as they are required by Texas election
code thank you and also I wanted to say thank you to school board members in
honor of school board recognition month I wanted to say that trustees Cuzela
Calhoun and Timi you finally gave parents like me a voice and I didn't
have to take the arrows alone you're doing a fine job of that and I wanted to
let you know that I appreciate that you strengthened parental rights and you put
teachers first and I love that you gave them a good raise more than the admin
wanted to. They certainly deserve it, especially with my firstborn. He's worth
double salary. Your progress to steer us towards improved academics and
enrichment rather than ideologies has been amazing, but there's still a lot of
work to be done and you know there's no question that we've got some radical
ideologies coming into education systems including our district through
through curriculum, books, foundations,
and you're standing in the way.
So thank you for that, thank you for protecting the children,
and thank you all, because this is a great service
that you do for your community.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
All right, we're gonna move to non-agenda speakers,
so Donna Pipe,
and then we'll have Dana Watson.
Dana Watson.
Hello, my name is Dawn Pipe.
This is my first school board meeting.
I moved to Katy in 2010.
My kids were pre-K, third, fifth, seventh grade.
Now my youngest is a junior at Seven Lakes High School.
The other three graduated Seven Lakes, finished university.
today. This is my introduction. Thank you Mr. Grigorski and board members for letting me speak.
I'm here to talk about Physics C. I know Ms. Taylor had made a proposal from Seven Lakes
High School and it was denied. One of the reasons it was denied was cost.
I find this really hard to accept because the cost is going to be so minimal. It's nothing
but materials and books you don't need to hire or find teachers to teach this
we have Miss Taylor and mr. Andrews very qualified I just see it as a chance to
to get so much by spending so little you know I've seen this district spend so
much to get to get little you know like the Chromebooks this is a chance to get
so much by spending so little. Another reason given her was pathways. It said
given these constraints resources need to be prioritized for courses that fill
a direct need and have a pathway for students future goals. It is currently
not being filled with other courses. Well no it's not being filled by other
courses. It's only physics AP Physics C counts when you're applying for credits
at UT A&M. These kids, they go into high school and there's no pre-AP physics. You know, you
have your pre-AP or it's called cap, chem, bio, math, that sort of thing. So these kids
jump into like an advanced college credit physics class and they do extremely well.
The teachers are amazing. The students are amazing. It just speaks to the caliber of
both. So I know if we offer this physics C, it will be successful based on how hard both
the teachers and students work so we have the teachers we have the students the cost is minimal
i think it's an embarrassment to kdisd not to offer this it's the only high school ranked among
the top in the nation that doesn't offer this physics c ap physics c houston isd offers it
fort bend offers it but we don't these kids are working so hard um you know not necessarily make
make KDSD look great, you know, but to get into the university of their choice.
And if we want to smooth this pathway for them to achieve their goals, like, let's offer
Physics C. I know it's getting harder and harder to get accepted into these universities.
My oldest, 10 years ago, got in with four of his classmates from Seven Lakes, Chem Eng.
my second one got into you got denied UT he got into a now I'm sorry thank you
Dana Watson am I saying your first name right Dana okay great yes hi good
Good evening. My name is Dana Watson. I'm a fourth grade teacher and a mom in KDISD.
I'm also honored to be a member of the KDAFT union.
I'm speaking to you today to represent not only myself, but my fellow teachers and parents who share concerns regarding the district's current policy for teacher planning time.
it has come to my attention and i am sure it is known to this board that the district is out of
compliance with texas education code section 21.204 which mandates appropriate planning time
for educators in december of 2024 my colleagues from the texas aft union brought this issue
directly to this board hoping that our appeals would inspire the necessary changes however i
regret to say that we have not seen any improvements as a result i find myself facing
weekly challenges where my planning time is taken away this situation forces me to stay after school
or to arrive early leaving me physically and mentally exhausted while i am passionate about
my students and i'm very dedicated to my role as a teacher the demands of my job often overshadow my
ability to care for myself and my family. I constantly grapple with guilt, feeling
that I am failing either my students or my son, who deserves a quality time from
me as his mother. It is crucial for us as educators to have this
dedicated time within our workday to manage our responsibilities effectively.
This would allow us to return home feeling rejuvenated and present for our
families and loved ones i'm certain many if not most kdisd employees can relate to these feelings
so i urge forward to actively support the emotional well-being of your teachers um thank
you for considering the needs of us um it is i truly truly appreciate you taking the time to
hear um this issue it significantly impacts our families and students our students need
and deserve teachers who are mentally healthy and well prepared ensuring that
we have adequate planning time is essential and achieving this goal thank
you thank you Sarah Pike and then Ben when hi my name is Sarah pipe and I am a
junior at seven links high school right now and I'm also going to be addressing
the topic of adding AP Physics C as a course in the next school year.
So we all know that STEM occupations are growing rapidly,
with STEM occupations having a projected growth of around 10% by 2033.
This growing job market is very appealing for many students
as it provides a lot of job security.
UT and A&M, two top universities in Texas,
are both in the top 15 best universities for engineering in the nation.
This makes these schools very competitive,
with over 90,000 students applying to UT for the 25 to 26 school year.
STEM majors at UT have the lowest acceptance rate at UT,
which makes it extremely hard to get in.
Seven Lakes is also a very competitive school,
and it's extremely hard to stand out as a student due to the high academic rigor.
The teachers at Seven Lakes are amazing,
and they try really hard to teach and allow these students to stand out
and gain opportunities.
Having Physics C as a course would increase students' readiness for STEM majors
and make them more appealing to acceptance offers.
In the past few weeks, UT's acceptance letters came out,
and many students got deferred or rejected.
Of the students who did get accepted, or of my peers who are seniors right now at Seven Lakes
that got accepted, most of them took the AP Physics C exam last year.
However, a lot of the students who got rejected or deferred did not take the AP Physics C exam.
Having AP Physics C exam, there's resources to take the AP Physics C exam because many of the,
Ms. Taylor, my AP Physics 1 teacher, provides a short course at the end of the school year for students who are currently in calculus to take the course.
However, this does not allow students enough time to fully comprehend and grasp these concepts.
AP Physics C is an extremely important course for all STEM majors and it is a required, and AP Physics 1 is a required course for most STEM majors.
I would like to thank you for taking your time to listen to this issue and I would like to thank you for all
That you do for our schools and the teachers and our community. Thank you
Thank you
Hello everyone, I'm also a current junior at Seven Lakes High School who is also currently taking AP physics one and
And not only is AP Physics C a helpful course in applying to colleges,
it also counts as a Physics 1 credit in colleges.
This is especially important as I am planning on majoring in chemical engineering in UT,
which is one of the hardest majors to be accepted into.
This also, AP Physics 1 is not accepted as a Physics 1 course in colleges,
while AP Physics C is.
This is especially important because there's a lot of competitions currently when applying to colleges,
and this makes it hard for students to get the classes that they need in order to graduate on time.
This wastes lots of time and tuition and funds just to take extra classes in colleges.
By taking AP Physics C in high school, it will facilitate already meeting graduated requirements on time for many students aspiring to do STEM.
them. This is especially important as more AP credits allow for more hours and also it
allows for more priority when choosing your courses. This allows for students to not only
have a better pathway towards colleges but also towards things like undergraduate plans
and extra connections when going into the workforce. So not only will taking AP Physics
C help when applying to colleges, it will help in your pathway to growth in the future.
Thank you for listening to me and I hope you consider a condom allowing AP physics C as a course next year. Thank you
Thank you Rama
Warden and then Prachi
Hello, my name is Roma Pajardhan and firstly I just want to thank everyone for have for this opportunity
So I'm also want to talk about AP physics C because I'm a junior at Seven Lakes taking physics one
So college acceptances aside, me and over 500 other students have expressed interest in taking Physics C because we are very passionate about physics and would love to learn more.
The point of high school is to build a good foundation for college and facilitate interest in these subjects.
This class allows for us to learn the type of physics that is actually applicable in real life, which is with calculus.
This is different from AP Physics 1, which is solely precalculus based.
based. Additionally, taking Physics 1 will reduce the chance for students dropping out
of classes in college because of the rigor. This is because we will already have a good
base in this class and will have made the mistakes already as just as high schoolers.
But we do understand that taking another, adding another course to the curriculum will
take a lot of time and effort, but not as much as one would think. We already have two
teachers who are very qualified and very eager to teach this class. Also, the, many of the
materials that would be required for this class we already have available to us through physics
one and physics two so we really hope you will reconsider your choice and add physics c to the
curriculum thank you thank you kachi pat warden and then marcy sabal or sable you have to tell
me how you say that thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak most of the things are
covered by Ms. Donna and the kids. But I would like to add one more important thing that
Rama is our younger daughter and our older one is studying in UT Austin,
second year chemical engineering. And few of our friends already have taken physics C in
their high school as high school course. They were from Fort Bend ISD, other ISDs in
any other school district. So they were able to take the higher course where our daughter was not
because she didn't get an opportunity to do the physics C in her high school.
So moving ahead, Seven Lakes High School is so well recognized in state and nation
that the students should get the opportunity to learn
and if the board offers it, that would be awesome
because the teachers are ready to teach.
The lab is available.
The students are ready to learn.
It's just a matter of approval.
And I hope you will do what is needed.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Marcy?
Can you pronounce your last name for me?
Sable.
Sable.
Okay.
Great.
Welcome.
Good evening, board members, superintendent, Dr. Gorgorski.
I'm here this evening to speak to you about compensation.
At the October 28, 2024 regular board meeting, the board's legislative priorities were announced.
One priority in particular caught my attention, teacher recruitment and retention initiatives
and to raise teacher salaries.
I would like to refresh your memory.
On August 25th, 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and ransacked Katy.
The ESC building was particularly hard hit.
Lee Cruz, the then Chief Operations Officer, together with Maintenance and Operations and other staff members,
came to the ESC to relocate district equipment and move employees' personal property to safekeeping.
camping. Some of these positions are the lowest paying positions in the district. These employees
are loyal and committed. Many are still with us today, having carried the district through
calamity after calamity, hurricanes, floods and freezes. Countless administrators and
support staff have also supported the district through these events. In March of 2020, while
the district staff and students were out on spring break covid reared its ugly head administrators
and coordinators scrambled working day and night to develop an online learning platform
five working days yes i said five working days into the closer and the curriculum and instruction
staff together with administrators came up with a plan to get our students back up and learning
and what became known as KVA. Instructional technology staff worked
24-7 assisting with the development of curriculum, instructing staff and
personally performing in the role of teacher when teachers were out ill or
caring for ill family members. Other technology staff and librarians work
feverishly to distribute Chromebooks and laptops. Police officers and other staff
staff members risk their health and safety while working at the district COVID testing site.
I implore you, Board of Trustees, to authorize the superintendent to administer a pay increase
that is equitable and fair for all employees when funds become available,
leaving no employee behind. Thank you for your time.
Thank you. All right, this concludes the open forum portion of our meeting.
6. Closed Meeting
The Board will now convene in closed session as authorized under Section 551.001 of the Texas Government Code for the following purposes.
Texas Government Code 551.071, 551.076, and 551.129.
7. Reconvene from Closed Meeting – The Board will reconvene from Closed Meeting.
The Board will now reconvene and open a meeting.
today is Monday January 27 2025 and the time is 628 p.m. on behalf of my colleagues I welcome
everyone to this evening's regular board meeting each board meeting each board member received the
agenda and documentation for this meeting on Friday January 24 2025 the board will receive
information and recommendations from staff administration and superintendent on these
agenda items at tonight's meeting board members will be able to ask questions receive answers
and should be prepared to take action the board has this reconvene from closed meeting in accordance
with chapter 551 the text government code any action arising from discussions in the closed
meeting must be taken in an open meeting a consent agenda which shall include items that were
8. Consent Agenda
discussed and considered at the previous work-study meeting as well as items of a
recurring nature the board shall be furnished with background material for
each item consent agenda items shall be grouped together under one action item
all items shall be acted upon by one vote without separate discussion unless
a board member requests that an item be withdrawn for individual consideration
and this is per be illegal and also be local board members are there any items
that board members would like to remove from the consent agenda in that case I
will now entertain a motion for the consent agenda mr. president mr. Redmond
I move that the Board of Trustees approves the consent agenda for items
8.1 through 8.19 do I have a second second
this move the second it that the Board of Trustees approves the consent agenda
for items 8.1 through 8.1 9 will now vote by pressing on the keypad
The motion is carried and the consent agenda passes 7-0.
There were no information items requested.
9. Information Items
Our next board meeting...
Mr. President, may I put in a request for a board member?
Do we have any results from the vote of who was elected on those HCAD and all of that boards, those boards we voted on?
Could we get a report on that at the next board meeting?
I don't have the answer to that, but, yeah, I'm sure we can find out.
Okay, thank you.
Thank you.
10. Future Meetings
Our next board meeting, we'll have a work-study meeting on Monday, February 17, 2025.
and the regular board meeting will be on Monday, February 24, 2025.
There being no further business for the board, this meeting is adjourned.
The time is 6.31.
Thank you.
Official documents
Agenda
The district's own agenda file, as published on its video page. 4 pages.
Board packet · 36 documents
The district's own backup material for this agenda, retrieved from BoardDocs. Each file was checked against the size BoardDocs states for it.
- 2026-27 Instructional Calendar - DRAFT - Option A for Survey 145 KB
- 2026-27 Instructional Calendar - DRAFT - Option B for Survey 145 KB
- 2025-26 Instructional Calendar - Flex Day Modification 148 KB
- January 2025 198 KB
- 2024 - ACFR DRAFT - 01.07.2025 2385 KB
- Katy ISD presentation FY24 1317 KB
- Financial Audit Report Drafts Board memo 132 KB
- Katy ISD Federal Single Audit Report Draft 12-26-2024 1107 KB
- 1 Financial Statements - Nov 2024 64 KB
- 2 Function Object Analysis - November 2024 84 KB
- 3 Construction Report - November 2024 597 KB
- 4 Tax Report November 2024 56 KB
- 5 Check Register - November 2024 181 KB
- B101 MCTC AutoProgramAddition_Exhibits 11385 KB
- CPALtd._Contract 2025 8721 KB
- B101-2017_Exhibits_JH19 _PBK 9201 KB
- AIA A101_KatyISD_Shaw Center_ RAVA 1051 KB
- Shaw Center Ranking Sheet 51 KB
- Shaw_Rava_RecLtr_010325 54 KB
- AIA 101-2017_KatyISD_ACME_Exhibits 7185 KB
- Bond 2023 Safety & Security Ranking Sheet 87 KB
- SOBe Recommendation Letter 252 KB
- AIA A133 - KatyISD_CE.NCE_Stewart_Exhibits 631 KB
- VLK_RefLetter_Stewart 149 KB
- A133-2019_GMP1_KJH_AB_FINAL 1263 KB
- Rec Ltr KJH_GMP 1 160 KB
- KHS_Stewart Builders_AIA A133_ GMP 2 with Exhibits 1125 KB
- KHS_GMP2_RefLtr_VLK12.13.2024 150 KB
- CP Easement_NW Trans 1509 KB
- Katy ISD May 2025 Order of Election - Final 103 KB
- Pledge Leader Information SCE 134 KB
- 012725 Recognition Script 139 KB
- National Anthem Information THS 104 KB
- 012725 Recognition Presentation 217 KB
- MIN_11_18_2024_Board_Work_Study_Meeting.pdfSIGNED 998 KB
- MIN_12_9_2024_Regular_Board_Meeting.pdfSIGNED 1702 KB
Motions and votes
Recorded actions
MOTION 001 · AGENDA 8.1
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the District's November 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 002 · AGENDA 8.2
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the District's January 2025 budget amendments.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 003 · AGENDA 8.3
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the 2023-2024 annual financial audit report.
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 8.4
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards a contract renewal to Consolidated Property Advisors, Ltd. for the land and real estate consulting services.
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 8.5
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards a contract to Stantec Architecture, Inc. for design services necessary for the auto program expansion at Miller Career and Technology Center.
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 8.6
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards a contract to PBK Architects for design services necessary for the construction of Junior High School #19.
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 8.7
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards a contract to RAVA Construction, LLC for the renovations to the expansion of the Shaw Center in the amount of $4,275,000 and approves the total project cost not to exceed $5,231,150.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 008 · AGENDA 8.8
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards a contract to Acme Architectural Hardware for the construction of safety and security improvements at Fielder Elementary School, Mayde Creek High School, and the Agricultural Science Center in the amount of $503,664.17 and approves the total project cost not to exceed $800,000.
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 8.9
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves Amendment One to the Stewart Builders, LLC contract related to the front office renovation to Cimarron Elementary School and the front office and library renovations to Nottingham Country Elementary School for the Guaranteed Maximum Price of $5,693,459.
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 8.10
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves Amendment One to the Anslow Bryant Construction, LTD. contract related to the renovation at Katy Junior High School for the Guaranteed Maximum Price of $10,600,708.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 011 · AGENDA 8.11
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees awards CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC a blanket electrical easement associated with the construction of the Northwest Transportation Center as depicted in the attached easement document.
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 8.12
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves Amendment Two to the Stewart Builders, LLC. contract related to the Katy High School band hall addition and vocational hall (built in 1972) renovations for the Guaranteed Maximum Price of $16,467,767.
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 8.13
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the delivery method updates for various infrastructure projects in the 2023 Bond.
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 8.14
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees adopts the Order calling for a regular election of the School Board Trustees to be held on May 3, 2025 and authorization of the Administration to provide official notice of the election as required by the Texas Election Code.
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 8.15
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves Option ___ for the 2026-2027 Instructional Calendar.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 016 · AGENDA 8.16
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves of a Professional Development Waiver for the 2026-2027 instructional calendar.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 017 · AGENDA 8.17
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves an amendment of the 2025-2026 instructional calendar.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 018 · AGENDA 8.18
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves a TEA waiver request that states Katy ISD will certify that the online courses to be offered through Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN) meet the TxVSN requirements. The Katy ISD online courses are developed in collaboration with Teaching and Learning and Instructional Technology to ensure the TEKS are met and that the course adheres to the online course standards provided by TxVSN.
7 Yes · 0 No
| Trustee | Vote |
|---|---|
| amy-thieme | Yes |
| dawn-champagne | Yes |
| lance-redmon | Yes |
| mary-ellen-cuzela | Yes |
| morgan-calhoun | Yes |
| rebecca-fox | Yes |
| victor-perez | Yes |
MOTION 019 · AGENDA 8.19
PassedIt is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves of the minutes for the November and December 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 |