Katy ISD residents heavily voted in favor of a natatorium for the district’s 10th high school and district athletic facility renovations and repairs as part of the 2021 bond package.
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Katy ISD residents voted heavily in favor of a natatorium for the district’s 10th high school and athletic facility renovations as part of the 2021 bond package.
Per unofficial voting results released Saturday, May 1, Proposition C, the $13.8-million natatorium for high school No. 10 to be located at the intersection of Longenbaugh at Katy Hockley Road, passed with 63.72 percent approval (5,423 votes). Proposition D, which called for repairs for campus and district athletic facilities among other component replacements that will cost $11.2 million, had 63.81 percent approval (5,433 votes).
A special board meeting will take place to conduct the official canvass of returns. The deadline to canvass final election results is May 12.
“I have to thank the bond committee, our community, our administration, our board of trustees, our superintendent,” Katy ISD athletic director Debbie Decker said. “It really takes everybody to have successful programs. Their support means so much to our coaches and our kids. We live in one of the greatest places in the nation.”
The entire 2021 bond package will produce no change to the tax rate for Katy ISD taxpayers, although the length of time taxpayers pay on existing and new school district debt will be extended because the outstanding total has increased.
If it had been voted down, high school No. 10 would have been the only Katy ISD high school without a natatorium.
For the 2020-21 school year at Katy ISD, 305 boys and 314 girls participated in swimming. In 2019, Katy ISD produced seven individual All-American swimmers and two All-American relay teams. In 2020, the district had five individual All-American swimmers and five All-American relay teams.
At the majority of Katy ISD schools, most of the seniors qualified for academic All-American status. At Taylor, for instance, four of the top 20 kids academically this school year are swimmers. The No. 1 student academically in the Class of 2022 is a swimmer.
Jordan High, the district’s biggest pool in regard to seating capacity, hosted the District 19-6A and 19-5A meets this season.
Also, Katy ISD is in the early planning stages of offering water polo after it was approved as a UIL sport in 2019. In October 2020, the UIL voted to delay the start of water polo at least a year from its initial 2021 start date because of COVID-19.
The Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association Water Polo board stated on its website it has been assured that the sport will start in the fall of 2022. Jordan High swim coach Scott Slay said water polo was a significant financial resource for kids when he was the swim and water polo coach at Foster High.
During his five years in Richmond, more than $1 million in academic scholarships were brought in from just the Foster water polo program, Slay said, and the typical water polo player has a swimming background.
Proposition D will bring the following amendments to district athletic facilities within the next five years:
>> Replacement roof, skylights and waterproofing for Rhodes Stadium.
>> Track surface replacements for Memorial Parkway Junior High, Seven Lakes Junior High, Morton Ranch Junior High, West Memorial Junior High, Seven Lakes High School and Tompkins High School.
>> Athletic field lighting replacement for Mayde Creek High School, Morton Ranch High School, Taylor High School, Seven Lakes High School and Tompkins High School.
>> Gym bleacher replacements for Beckendorff Junior High, Morton Ranch High School and Seven Lakes High School.
“It’s our community and their understanding of the importance of athletics and fine arts, and, of course, academics is No. 1,” Decker said. “Athletics and fine arts are instruments used to help educate kids further and to give them something to look forward to, in addition to their studies. It’s great for our coaches and kids to see that support.”