Katy ISD board adopts tax rate, HB 3 goals; honors retiring Trustee Fox at emotional finale meeting

KATY, Texas — The Katy Independent School District Board of Trustees on Monday approved its 2026-27 tax rate and a slate of other consent-agenda items as part of a meeting dominated by an extended tribute to retiring Trustee Rebecca Fox, who is stepping down after more than two decades on the board.

Trustees adopted the 2026-2027 Maintenance and Operations Tax Rate and the 2026-2027 Debt Service Tax Rate as part of the consent agenda. The board also approved the July 2026 financial reports, District and Campus Performance Objectives, a contract amendment with The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company for renovations to the Support Services Complex, a blanket electrical easement to CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric tied to the renovation of Rodger and Ellen Beck Junior High School, the plat for the new Sundown Elementary School, and a waiver application to the Texas Education Commissioner allowing elementary campuses to exceed the state’s 22-to-1 class-size ratio. The transcript does not include a roll-call or vote tally on these consent items.

The meeting opened with recognition of a King Elementary fifth grader and the Mayde Creek High School “Taking Notes” show choir leading the pledges and national anthem, followed by a lengthy ceremony honoring Fox, who has served on the board since 2004 with a break from 2019 to 2021. Board President Lance Redmond and fellow trustees Victor Perez, Dawn Champagne and others praised Fox for what several called near-perfect attendance at every district high school graduation during her tenure, and for mentoring more than 30 fellow trustees across four superintendents. Fox, who is relocating to be near family, told the board and audience the district’s growth from about 38,000 students and 34 campuses when she arrived to roughly 95,000 students and 80 campuses today reflects “the people” of Katy rather than any one leader. Superintendent Ken Gregorski also thanked Fox for providing board stability and said her tenure demonstrated the value of institutional memory.

During public comment, several current and former Katy ISD educators raised concerns about rising kindergarten class sizes. Kindergarten teacher Azanet Federenko told trustees that class sizes in her school have grown from 13-15 students at the start of last year to 28-29 students this year — seven above the district’s 22-student target — after several kindergarten teachers were “accessed,” or reassigned, due to staffing cuts last October. A second speaker, reading a statement on behalf of teacher Megan Davis, echoed those concerns, saying large classes make it difficult to deliver the small-group instruction and individualized support required for five-year-olds, including students with IEPs and 504 plans.

Parents from the Williamsburg Settlement neighborhood near Diane Winborn Elementary also urged the board and district police to address speeding, illegal U-turns and stop-sign violations near the school. Resident Jessica King said a neighbor had documented 27 traffic infractions over three days of recording near the school’s crossing zone, while parent Molly Metz, who said she and her children have narrowly avoided being struck three times while biking to school, asked the district to add a crossing guard at Cavalrymen and Prince George streets, extend the no-parking zone along the full block in front of the school, and install no-U-turn signage.

Other public comments touched on a range of academic and policy issues, including a parent’s objection to the young-adult novel “Long Way Down” being taught in a Cinco Ranch High School English II class over its language and violent content; a request from Taylor High School students to add DECA as a district-recognized career and technical student organization; a junior’s request that the district find a way to recognize academic achievement earned through credit-by-examination even though such credit remains unweighted for GPA purposes; and a former principal’s warning about a statewide issue in which incoming students’ transcripts sometimes arrive without properly recorded grades, potentially suppressing class rank and eligibility for automatic university admission.

In the reports portion of the meeting, Executive Director of School Improvement Natalie Martinez presented the district’s House Bill 3 five-year goals, which set targets for third-grade reading and math STAR performance and for college, career and military readiness (CCMR) rates tied to the state’s “60x30” goal of having 60% of Texans ages 25-34 hold a postsecondary credential by 2030. Martinez said Katy ISD’s third-grade reading proficiency dipped from 64% in the prior measure to 62% this year, while math proficiency also declined, though both remain above statewide averages. CCMR attainment stood at 82%, above the district’s HB 3 target but below the state figure. Martinez said the district’s new high-quality math instructional materials, rolled out this year, are expected to affect results beginning in 2027, and that administrators are still evaluating how anticipated state changes to CCMR accountability weighting could affect the district.

Trustees also heard a presentation from Innovative Pathways Division Director Kerry Sanguinetti and Principal Kelly Carrillo on the district’s “Innovative Complex,” which houses the Miller Career and Technology Center, RAINS Academy, the Options Academic Center and the STEAM Center under unified leadership for the first time this year, describing how the programs serve students with varied needs, from elite athletes to students recovering academic credits.

The board did not take a formal vote on any personnel, boundary or bond items during the open portion of the meeting reviewed here; a closed session was held under Texas Government Code sections 551.071 and 551.129 before the board reconvened in open session at 7:54 p.m.

Also at this meeting:

• The board received preliminary survey results on the Elementary #49 attendance boundary modification, though details of those results were not covered in the portion of the transcript provided.
• The Katy ISD Education Foundation’s annual report was listed on the agenda as a report item.
• Trustees approved the acquisition of new library books and the minutes of the August board meetings as part of the consent agenda.
• The board approved claims administration for unemployment compensation through the TASB Risk Management Fund.
• Speakers also raised concerns about a Texas State Board of Education member representing part of the district’s multi-county area, criticizing her role in revising state social studies standards.