At its September 15 work study meeting, Katy ISD’s board of trustees reviewed a presentation about the district’s current usage of artificial intelligence and its plans to expand that usage. New healthcare program updates, including an increase in both premiums and deductibles, were also presented.

John Alawneh, Chief Information Officer for KISD presented a “roadmap” for innovation and efficiency using artificial intelligence, highlighting how the district is already leveraging AI to boost productivity and enhance daily operations. He also presented the district’s plan for expanding AI to streamline processes further and deliver 24/7 support for staff, students, and parents.

“Our goal is to demonstrate how these innovations are designed to empower people—not replace them—while positioning Katy ISD as a leader in K-12 AI-driven operations,” Alawneh said. “Today we are entering a new era of AI automation,” which he called “the next chapter in how schools operate.”

Use of AI is already “quietly improving our district,” Alawneh said, improving productivity by leveraging generative AI for documents and emails, along with spreadsheet automation for quicker insights. The district also provides on-demand licenses for popular AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot, please free access to Gemini via myKaty.

In the area of operational support, the district is using AI for content evaluation – specifically, book reviews in accordance with the district’s policies -- and streamlining functions like the Help Desk through ticket triage and the processing of invoice processing. The district is also dedicating efforts in Technology Services for the development of custom AI agents tailored to district needs.

AI can help the district become more efficient so that employees can spend more time with students and families, focusing on “people, not processes.”

Many of these initiatives will be integrated into the Legacy Virtual High School initiative which will be launched next year, he said. The district wants to offer AI-powered support for assistance with enrollment and course registration and selection and real-time help for frequently asked questions. AI agents will be available 24/7 via voice and chat for academic inquiries, Alawneh said, and will start in English and Spanish. Inquiries can be escalated to a human agent, he said.

The AI Help Desk Assistant model can be replicated to serve as a receptionist to greet visitors and speak in multiple languages, or to assist in operations and maintenance, Alawneh said. There are also plans for an AI Building Access Assistant at the main entrance of a campus which would confirm visitor appointments, guide visitors through the badging process, answer access questions and notify staff for check-in, resulting in stronger campus security.

Alawneh said that the program would result in 30 percent of common inquiries being handled by AI, reduced workload for the front office staff, 24/7 multilingual parent support, faster enrollment and

higher completion rates and enhanced building safety through “smarter building access.” The program would also position KISD as a national leader in K=12 AI-driven operations.

Alawneh said that the plan would be rolled out in four phases: foundational pilots at the Educational Support Complex, campus pilots at three initial schools, controlled expansion to 40 schools and full deployment district wide. He estimated that the project rollout would take between 12 and 18 months, and that much of the technology would be developed in-house, which would help minimize costs.

Trustee Mary Ellen Cuzela questioned the use of AI in the area of building security. Alawneh said that the programs have to have “lots of guardrails” to manage how they behave. If the interaction goes beyond what the model specifies, the AI agent is instructed to call a live person. She also asked questions about how the bots review books, noting that PDFs of the book’s pages are needed for the process to work, which can be difficult to get. Alawneh said that, in the absence of PDFs, the bot can scan the internet for other reviews and information about the book in question. Deputy Superintendent Leslie Haack said that the process, which has been in place in the district for over a year, can identify books that need to be reviewed by staff or removed, and resulted in an increase in efficiency as well as the identification of books that needed to be removed.

Trustee Morgan Calhoun asked about the handling and holding of data such as information gathered when visitors check in at a campus. Alaweh said that the data could be held or wiped out at specified intervals. Calhoun also expressed concern about the loss in human interaction, customer service and “relationship-building” as more functions are handled by AI. Alaweh said that the agents could “detect sentiment” and could transfer inquiries to a live person at any time.

Trustee Amy Thieme asked if AI could be used for scheduling substitutes; Alaweh said that this area has not yet be targeted but that the models could be customized to handle this function.

Director of Risk Management Lance Nauman presented details on the health plan for district employees. For Plan Year 2026, employees will see premium increases related to medical inflation in each of the respective plans, along with an increase in deductibles, he said. The pharmacy services provider will change from Express Scripts to HEB. Virtual care continues to be included at no charge to plan participants, he said.

Cuzela had a question about donated items, specifically copies of the Ten Commandments which have been donated and which, according to state law, must be displayed if donated. She asked if the board must approve the donated items before the posters could be hung, since there could be a lag time of as much as a month before the posters could be placed. KISD Legal counsel Justin Graham said that the board has a policy regarding unsolicited donations, which is the same process followed for the “In God We Trust” signs, which ensures that the signs are properly installed. Cuzela asked if the district could “pre-ememptively accept” the Ten Commandments posters all at once, if the posters were in proper compliance, and Graham said that something could be prepared for the September 22 board meeting. That meeting took place following press time for this week’s edition of the Katy Times.

Items and/or monies are periodically donated to the District by various groups and individuals. In compliance with Board policy CDC(LEGAL) and CDC(LOCAL), the Superintendent or his designee shall evaluate all offers of gifts to the District. Gifts accepted by the District are reported to the Board of Trustees during regularly scheduled meetings. The attached listing of item(s), donor(s), and estimated value is submitted for your review.