A Katy ISD community bond advisory committee April 18 approved an $840.6 million bond proposal for four new schools, upgrades to existing district facilities, safety security improvements meant to exceed state standards, and a technology plan that would incorporate a 1:1 student-to-device ratio.

The proposal now goes to the Katy ISD Board of Trustees. The board will review it after swearing in three new trustees who will be elected in the May 6 election, and after officials review any state legislation that might affect the proposal.

Such state legislation might include property tax relief, an issue some state legislators have identified as a priority for this session. Bond committee chairman Alejandro Avendano said the bond does not include a tax rate increase. However, he said, property appraisals have gone up. A homeowner would not pay more because of the tax rate, but could pay more if the property appraisal goes up.

Trustees can reject the proposal outright, which is unlikely, or they can amend or simply accept the proposal. If they amend or accept the proposal, they would place it on the November ballot for voter consideration and approval. The deadline for placing the measure on the ballot is in August. Avendano said trustees have typically supported what past bond committees have put before them.

While creating the proposal is an accomplishment for the committee, it had to be special for Avendano. He said he was interested in being part of the discussion about the bonds, so he applied online. He said he was one of about 500 people to apply for a spot on the committee, which had 142 members.

Avendano earned his MBA at Rice University. He works in the oil and gas industry, where he is involved in mergers and acquisitions. He said he and his family have been Katy ISD residents since January 2015. He has two children who attend Tompkins High School. His oldest child is preparing to graduate. His youngest child is a sophomore.

“I came in just trying to understand how the bond would impact the community,” Avendano said. “I was impressed with discussions we’ve had. I feel comfortable now explaining why or why we don’t need a bond and what the impact will be to them.”

Yet Avendano said he did not expect to be named committee chairman. He said he received a call to meet with Superintendent Ken Gregorski and trustees.

“We spoke for about 30 minutes,” Avendano said. “It was kind of like an interview.”

The bond package is being developed and will now be considered as the district continues to experience substantial growth.

“There has been a significant amount of growth in Katy ISD, between 1,500-2,000 students per year,” Avendano said. “New communities are being developed, and were going to need new schools for those kids to go to.”

If the bond should fail, he said, students would be placed at existing campuses that he said were already packed. This would be an issue not just for the teachers at those campuses, he said, but for parents and students as well.

Leading the committee has been a learning experience for Avendano. Funding new schools and renovating older schools requires money from a different funding bucket, which in this case is the bond, he said.

Going forward, Avendano said, people with questions about the bond should visit with a committee member to get them answered.

“You have 142 people that are better informed than a month ago,” Avendano said, urging the public to ask why some projects received committee support over other projects.

Katy ISD voters last approved a $676.2 million bond in 2021. The bond included the funding for three elementary schools, one junior high school, and one high school. One of those elementary schools, Steve and Elaine Robertson Elementary, opened last August. The other two elementary schools, David and Terry Youngblood Elementary and Russell and Cindie Faldyn Elementary, are expected to open this fall.

The junior high school, which will be the district’s 18^th, and the high school, which will be the district’s 10^th, are under construction. Both are expected to open in August 2024.