At Monday’s work-study meeting of the Katy ISD board of trustees, board members heard a scheduled budget update from district CFO Chris Smith, considered renovations to several facilities and heard a request for additional staffing.

Tempers flared several times during the evening, resulting in spirited exchanges between board members on the dais and audience members and among the board members. During public comments made by Lisa Lister-Browne, board president Victor Perez admonished her several times to keep her remarks to the agenda item she had signed up to speak about. Following adjournment for a closed session meeting, an argument about a remark allegedly overheard by trustee Morgan Calhoun who was still on the dais and former trustee Bill Lacy (seated in the audience) erupted, resulting in Calhoun telling Lacy, “There’s the door – leave.”

CFO Smith presented an updated budget projection showing a deficit of $7.9 million for the district for the 2024-2025 school year. The district is forecasting slower growth in enrollment of about 1.4 per cent and employment growth of 131 campus positions and 186 non-campus positions. Smith said there would be no increase in health insurance costs for employees. The budget draft which was presented did not include raises for KISD employees. Trustee Rebecca Fox questioned the lack of a placeholder for raises, which she said had been the practice in prior years. Fox asked Superintendent Ken Gregorski what he felt the budget could tolerate; he replied the district could afford a modest raise of around two per cent raise, which would still put the district at a deficit. Smith said that each one per cent increase in salaries created an additional cost of $7.3 million per year.

Fox asked Perez about adding the discussion about salary increases to the agenda for the next regular board meeting on May 13, stating that teachers are concerned about contract renewals and are now in the process of making decisions about where they will work for the next school year. After a lively exchange with Fox, Perez said that, in all likelihood, the matter would be on the agenda for that meeting.

Lisa Kassman, executive director of the district’s Facilities, Planning and Construction Department along with a representative from VLK Architects, presented a design for the expansion of Pattison Elementary. The campus, located at 19910 Stonelodge Dr. in Katy, currently has ten portable buildings. Enrollment at the school is now around 1300 and according to demographic projections from PASA, is expected to remain around 1370 for the next ten years. Kassman also presented information on planned renovations for Bear Creek Elementary as well as for the Franz Road Storage Building where the district will store and secure the district’s Chromebooks which will be used in the “1:1” device distribution program.

Brian Schuss, Katy ISD chief human resources officer, presented a request for ten additional positions for the coming year, including two human resource positions and several security officers.

City of Katy Mayor Dusty Thiele, accompanied by Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris and Councilmember Rory Robertson, read a proclamation declaring May 6-10 as Teacher Appreciation Week. Thiele said that his parents were educators; Robertson and his wife teach in Katy ISD, as does the wife of Harris.

The next meeting of the board will be Monday, May 13th, which will be a regular board meeting.