KATY, Texas - On Monday, Katy ISD Trustees approved a rezoning plan and named acting superintendent Ken Gregorski the lone finalist for the job.
The board approved the superintendent decision with a 4 to 3 vote. Those who opposed wanted a national search for outgoing superintendent Lance Hindt. Earlier this year, Hindt announced his plans to retire in January after he was hounded with allegations of being a bully in middle school.
Because of the approval of the rezoning plan, more than a thousand students will transition to a new Junior High School starting Fall 2019. The unforeseen price so many families pay for living in an ever-expanding Greater Houston.
The side effects of Katy ISD’s growth equate to growing pains for many of its students. Like 6th grade Tays Junior High student, Mauricio Maya, Jr.
“I love the school,” said Tays. “The school is amazing! There’s no bullying. There’s a lot of nice people.”
However, a Katy ISD vote on Monday means Maya will have to start at a new school come the Fall.
He, along with almost 1,400 other students, will be rezoned to a brand-new school under construction, currently called Junior High #16.
The District had three rezoning options to choose from. On Monday they chose option one, which the district says was the best choice in the long run for balancing enrollment.
It pulls students from Seven Lakes, WoodCreek and Tays Junior High Schools.
“That news was like a glass of cold water on my head,” said Mauricio Maya, Maurico Jr.’s father.
This is a big deal for the Maya family who moved to their home for Tays Junior High.
Mauricio lives 1.5 miles from Tays and usually rides his bike. However, starting next fall, he’ll have to be bused more than twice as far.
“I’ve already moved into a school and I like my school friends there,” said Mauricio Jr. “And going to another school… it’s not fair!”
The District says the only way a rezoned student can stay at their current school is to move.
During a meeting on December 10, trustees explained it’s important that new schools be filled so they can have sports teams, arts programs and other things that require enough students to do so.
The District released this statement following Monday’s vote:
“Due to the fast growth in the southwest quadrant of Katy ISD, Junior High #16 was approved as part of the November 2017 bond and will open August 2019. It will provide relief to Tays, WoodCreek and Seven Lakes junior high schools and help balance enrollment throughout that quadrant of the district.”
“Over the past five months, families that could be potentially impacted by the opening of Junior High #16 have had the opportunity to provide feedback on three attendance boundary options by way of a survey, phone calls and Open Forum comments at Board meetings. Based on the survey data alone, Option #3 received the most support, while Option #1 ranked as a close second. However, after careful consideration by the Board and district administration, Option #1 was determined to be the best anticipated long-term solution for balancing enrollment in the southwest quadrant. Option #3 would eventually cause WoodCreek Junior High to be overcapacity by the year 2020, while Tays Junior High would see limited relief and remain well overcapacity.”
RELATED ARTICLES