The Katy ISD Board of Trustees approved the naming of Katy Junior High #17 located at 25737 Clay Road after Bill and Cindy Haskett as well as the attendance boundary modification associated with the district’s latest junior high campus during its Oct. 27 meeting.

“Last month, as you know, we brought forward a (naming) recommendation. In the meantime, we had a public hearing and we stand firm on our recommendation as Junior High 17 as Bill and Cindy Haskett Junior High School,” said KISD Superintendent Ken Gregorski before a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees accepting the name.

Namesakes

The Hasketts both have long-time associations with the district. Bill grauduated from Katy High School in 1961. He later he was later assistant principal from 1978 until 1981 when he was promoted to principal there, serving for an additional 15 years. In 1996, he served as the director of community education and special projects until 2004. He has also served as a summer school supervisor, district elections administrator, alternative education coordinator and credit by exam coordinator after his retirement in 2016.

Cindy was a teacher in Richardson ISD before moving to Houston to teach for Spring Branch ISD. She moved to Katy in 1979 and married Bill, after which she taught math at Katy Junior High from 1980 until her retirement in 2005 after a total of 33 years in public education.

The new campus is being paid for through a voter-approved 2017 bond and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2021, according to a KISD press release. The $609.2 million bond paid for Campbell, Leionard and McElwain elementary schools as well as Haskett and Adams junior high schools and Jordan High School. Renovations to Fielder Elementary and Katy High School assets were also included among other projects. Anticipated costs for Haskett Junior High School are about $65.6 million according to the district’s website.

Haskett Junior High is expected to be open for classes beginning the fall semester of 2021 and will have some new attendance boundary modifications. The new boundaries are expected to provide relief from potential overcrowding at Katy and Stockdick junior high schools according to the district’s website.

The projected student body for Haskett in the 2021-22 school year is 913 students, but that number is expected to reach 1,529 students according to projections published by the district.

More monikers

KISD is also looking for name nominations for the Agricultural Sciences Project Center located at the Gerald D. Young Agricultural Facility. The facility serves as home to the Katy ISD Future Farmers of America agricultural activities and other learning opportunities. Naming nominations forms can be found on the district’s website.

The school district has also announced a finalist for the naming of the former L.D. Robinson Pavilion as the Martha Aki ECI Project TYKE. Aki is currently the director of the district’s early childhood intervention program and is set to retire in December. The district will host a public forum on the naming of the facility Nov. 4 from 6-7 p.m. Those wishing to attend the forum can do so by contacting the district at publicrecords@katyisd.org.