While construction of Katy ISD’s new schools has been very much in the news, school board members are not overlooking the needs of older school campuses in the district.

At its October 20 work study meeting, the board discussed repairs and renovations to four older elementary campuses and one junior high, from kitchen remodels and roofing repair to extensive renovation. Among the projects:

· A $1.5 million renovation of the kitchen at Katy Junior High School, 5350 Franz in Katy, including upgrade of aging equipment.

· Re-roofing and building envelopes at Exley Elementary School, 21800 Westheimer Parkway in Katy, and West Memorial Elementary School, 22605 Provincial in Katy.

· Design for extensive renovations to both McRoberts Elementary, 3535 Fry Road in Katy, and Hayes Elementary, 21203 Park Timbers in Katy.

Renovations to both McRoberts and Hayes – each about 30 years old -- include changes to bring both campuses up to current building codes and to provide proper fire lane access, along with upgrades to HVAC and plumbing systems, KISD staff said. The libraries will be remodeled and relocated in order to provide proper shelving and more daylight inside the building. Facilities for special education and life skills will also be improved. The administration portion of the buildings will be moved to a more central location and security measures will be upgraded.

A contract for the construction of Junior High Number 19, to be located west of Cane Island in the Grange subdivision west of Barlett and north of Franz Road, was also discussed. The campus is set to open in August 2028, said Lisa Kassman, executive director of facilities, planning and construction for the district.

In other matters, the board considered an addition to Board Policy FM local which governs student activities, specifically on limits to required practices on Sundays, following a parent’s complaint to board member Mary Ellen Cuzela. Cuzela presented a draft of a policy, which had previously not been made public, which would add language to existing policy about required participation on Sundays, providing that a student would not be penalized for missing all or part of a Sunday practice. Superintendent Ken Gregorski said that upon learning of the situation, he and the administrative team looked into the matter and found no widespread incidents of such required Sunday practices, which he said are prohibited by UIL rules. Those rules only give a limited amount of flexibility for exceptions. KISD Athletic Director Lance Carter and Fine Arts

Executive Director Damon Archer elaborated further on the extensive rules already governing practices for athletics, fine art and cheer. Board secretary Dawn Champagne called the proposed policy change “redundant,” saying that present policy and UIL regulations already cover the issue and that the parent who brought forth the complaint had been able to resolve the issue at the campus level through existing procedures. District General Counsel Justin Graham expressed concern on the process through which Cuzela’s draft was written and its wording, calling it “highly unusual” for a trustee to develop a policy outside of counsel.

Cuzela reiterated that current guidelines do not prevent a student from being penalized or losing their position on a team or cheer squad if they miss all or part of a Sunday practice. Board president Lance Redmon said that the board’s policy committee could meet with counsel to work on the issue, or the board could vote on the policy as it stands in the October 27 meeting. He said that the agenda for the next meeting would not come out until Wednesday, October 22 and that the board members who support the policy change could pull the item from the agenda prior to that, if they chose to send the matter back to the policy committee rather than voting on it in the October 27 meeting.

However, further discussion and a vote on a potential policy change was not listed on the agenda for the October 27 regular board meeting which was released on October 22.

The October 27 meeting of the board took place after the Katy Times went to press for this issue.

Future meetings include:

· Work study meeting, November 17

· Regular board meeting, December 8