During the regular board meeting on October 28 at the Education Support Complex at 6301 S. Stadium Lane in Katy, the Katy ISD Board of Trustees voted to approve attendance boundary modifications (ABM) for the district’s next elementary schools, #47 and #48, which will be located in the district’s northwest quadrant.

Elementary #47, set to be located in the Elyson area, will help alleviate enrollment pressures at Youngblood Elementary. Meanwhile, Elementary #48, planned for the Sunterra South area, will provide enrollment relief to Faldyn and Robertson elementary schools. Both schools are scheduled to open in the 2025-26 school year.

Katy ISD regularly engages in ABMs to balance school enrollment across campuses to maintain safe and engaging school environments, the district said in a subsequent press release. In considering the boundaries for Elementary #47 and #48, parents at schools affected by the proposed changes were given the opportunity to provide input over a five-month period.

“The northwest quadrant is our fastest-growing area, and we want to be sure we’re effectively serving families as they move into the district,” said Ted Vierling, Chief Operations Officer at Katy ISD. “We continually work with our demographic partner – Population and Survey Analysts – to address the capacity concerns at in the fast growth areas of the districts.”

Elementary #47 is located at 7402 Katy Hockley Cut Off Road, and Elementary #48 is located at 900 Sunterra Shores Drive.

During the meeting trustees also approved legislative priorities for the upcoming 89th Texas Legislature, which begins in January.

The district will advocate for the following issues:

· Increase the Basic Allotment per student, to address inflation, and to support special education, safety, and career and technical education (CTE)

· Teacher recruitment and retention initiatives, to raise teacher salaries and address rising healthcare costs; and to implement legislative changes regarding behavioral issues in the classroom, administrative tasks, and core subjects

· STAAR assessment and accountability reform, to limit frequency, shift online testing to begin at 5th grade, and provide alternatives for special education students

"These priorities reflect the voices and vision of our parents and community for Katy ISD schools," said Victor Perez, President of the Katy ISD Board of Trustees. "Our goal is to inform decision-making during the upcoming legislative session as lawmakers consider amendments and new bills that could affect our students, families, and teachers."

The district’s Legislative Priorities were informed by a community survey, alongside a series of Listening Circle forums in which Trustees and district leaders met with parents, community members, and students to identify state legislative issues impacting Katy ISD schools.

In other action, the board heard reports on ESL/bilingual education, an update on the “Class 1:1” Chromebook initiative, and an update on Katy ISD’s Strategic Plan related to personalized learning experiences for students.

At 10:40 the board reconvened following a closed meeting in which a Level Three FNG grievance (FNG 23-059) regarding student and parent complaints/grievances was discussed, and, on a motion from board Vice President Amy Thieme, voted 7-0 to deny the Level Three Grievance, thereby upholding the decision of the Level One and Level Two hearing officer. There were no other details about the grievance.

Future board meetings are scheduled for:

· Board work study meeting, November 18

· Regular board meeting, December 9