Lakehouse subdivision parents fight proposed KISD attendance boundary modifications

By Susan Rovegno, Publisher
Posted 10/26/24

As Katy ISD prepares to approve yet another set of attendance boundary modifications (ABM) effective for the 2025 school year – which will move students into new and yet unnamed Elementary Schools 47 and 48 – parents in the Lakehouse subdivision in the northwest corner of the district are saying, “No more” and mounting a petition to fight the proposed changes.

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Lakehouse subdivision parents fight proposed KISD attendance boundary modifications

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As Katy ISD prepares to approve yet another set of attendance boundary modifications (ABM) effective for the 2025 school year – which will move students into new and yet unnamed Elementary Schools 47 and 48 – parents in the Lakehouse subdivision in the northwest corner of the district are saying, “No more” and mounting a petition to fight the proposed changes.


“The proposed August 2025 rezoning would mark our third elementary school assignment within a relatively short span,” Katy ISD mom and Lakehouse resident Amanda Beard told the KISD board of trustees during public comments at the September 23 meeting.


“When our community was first established, we were thoughtfully zoned for Bryant Elementary, Katy Junior High, and Katy High School,” Beard said at the meeting. “Many of us made significant purchasing decisions based on this zoning arrangement, choices that might have been different had we been aware of subsequent changes.”


In her comments Beard listed prior ABMs affecting Lakehouse as:

· August 2021: Rezoning to Haskett Junior High.

· August 2022: Zoning shifted to Robertson Elementary.

· August 2024: Rezoned to Freeman High School.

· Anticipated August 2025: Proposed rezoning to Elementary School #48


Beard worries about the effects of these moves on her children.

“Consistent routines and a stable environment are crucial for the healthy development of elementary-age students,” she said in her statement to the board. “Predictable schedules, familiar surroundings, and supportive relationships foster a sense of security, enabling children to focus on learning, and socializing.”


Safety is another concern. “Our neighborhood already contends with traffic congestion during peak hours,” said Beard. “The proposed rezoning would exacerbate this issue, potentially leading to gridlock near the school entrance and surrounding streets.”


“Moreover, the safety of our children who would need to walk to school cannot be overstated,” she added. “Increased traffic poses risks to their well-being, and we cannot compromise their safety. Our neighborhood has faced numerous issues with Clay Road, before, during and after its new construction. Yet, there remains no safe path for our children to walk or bike to Elementary #48.”


Distance from homes to the campuses is less of a concern, Beard told the Katy Times. The Lakehouse subdivision is only one mile from the new Elementary #48, two miles from Faldyn Elementary, 3.3 miles from Robertson Elementary and eight miles from Robertson Elementary, she said.


“We were initially zoned to Bryant when Katy Elementary was closer -- we were then zoned to Robertson when Faldyn Elementary was closer,” she said. “The nearness of the new school is closer, yes

-- but there remains no viable way for our children to walk to this school and we remain in the dark if our nearness allows for bus transportation or not. Along with that, our neighborhood has two exits, both which lead to Clay Road. Should Clay Road back up due a line of Lakehouse/Sunterra residents waiting to pick up or drop of their children to the new elementary, this would pose significant stress on not only people trying to get home and into the neighborhood but also to emergency support should they need to access our community. Our current drive to Robertson puts us going east bound on Clay for a less than a four-mile span and leaves Clay Road relatively unencumbered.”


The proposed rezoning plan was developed by Katy ISD and based on population growth estimates from Population and Survey Analysts (PASA). The 2025 plan was first presented to the school board on June 17 by Ted Vierling, KISD’s chief operations officer, and Kris Poole from PASA. In that presentation, Vierling said that families that could be impacted by the proposed attendance boundary modifications, as well as the general public, would be informed of opportunities to provide input, including an electronic survey, email, written correspondence, and by telephone. The survey is ongoing and scheduled for completion in October.


In July, Beard drafted a petition and posted it on the Lakehouse community page in order to raise awareness of the issue and providing an opportunity for community members to review it. On August 18, she actively sought the community’s support by engaging them to gather signatures, going.

door to door, holding neighborhood meeting, and sending emails.


“Together with fellow neighbors Manix Vasan, Megan Impero and Kaylon Hebert, I organized three signing events at our neighborhood amenity center,” Beard told the Katy Times. ”We promoted these events through a flyer shared on social media (flyer attached). Initially, our primary method of communication was our Neighborhood Facebook page, which has limited reach. Realizing the need for broader outreach, additional neighbors, including Missy Fitzpatrick, Christy Flores, and Michelle Marconi, joined us in going door-to-door to gather as many signatures as possible.”


The group ultimately gathered signatures from 206 households, organizing the petition by household addresses rather than individual signatories. The petition was presented to the KISD school board at the September 23 meeting, with each board member receiving a copy.

The petition has the support of Waller County Precinct 3 Commissioner Kendric Jones, who wrote in an undated letter to KISD board members: “By allowing the community to remain intact, we not only safeguard the interests of current residents, but we urge you to consider this request seriously and work towards a solution that prioritizes the needs of the Lakehouse community.”

Beard spoke again on the issue at the October 21 school board meeting during public comments. “This time, we have submitted a petition with substantial community support, responded negatively to your survey, and communicated our concerns to anyone willing to listen,” she said. “Despite these efforts, we fear our voices may still go unheard.”

At that meeting the board also heard an updated ABM presentation from Vierling and Pool. The item was on the agenda as a discussion item only and did not come to a vote. Although the official agenda for the October 28 board meeting has not been released as of press time for this week’s issue of the Katy Times, it is likely that the attendance boundary modification plan will come up for a vote at that meeting.

Katy ISD, attendance boundary modifications (ABM), Lakehouse subdivision, Amanda Beard, Bryant Elementary, Katy Junior High, and Katy High School, Haskett Junior High, Robertson Elementary, Freeman High School, Elementary School #48, Faldyn Elementary, Lakehouse/Sunterra, Clay Road, Population and Survey Analysts (PASA), Missy Fitzpatrick, Christy Flores, and Michelle Marconi, Waller County Precinct 3 Commissioner Kendric Jones