Katy State of the District is ‘very, very healthy,’ says superintendent

Posted on November 14, 2014 | By Leah Binkovitz

In the wake of the recent successful $748 million bond campaign, Katy Independent School District Superintendent Alton Frailey told a crowd of more than 100 district officials and employees that the state of the growing school district is “very, very healthy.”

The Nov. 14 address was an opportunity to look back at the accelerating story of growth that has come to define the district, trumpet continued high achievement and highlight several upcoming projects in the district, including a Center for Imagination and Innovation set to open in January and the six new schools and agriculture science building that are part of the recently passed bond. “Oh and a stadium,” Frailey said, expressing relief that the sometimes contentious fight to pass the bond because of its plans for a $58 million stadium complex was over.

“You are indeed part of something big,” Frailey told the audience. The district is now the 60th largest in the nation, according to the superintendent, and has grown more than 300 percent over the last 25 years.

But, he stressed, the district has remained high-achieving, performing above national averages on standardized tests.

Some 97 percent of the area’s school-age children attend Katy ISD schools, a number Frailey said illustrates the district’s reputation for excellence. “That’s outstanding considering how large we are,” he said.

Frailey also unveiled a new BEAM* Initiative, which he said would work to engage community members and district staff “to build and sustain a culture of excellence.” Without revealing details of what the program would involve, he said it would focus on community attitudes about the schools, reminding the audience of the opposition to the bond. “That’s a thorn and we should just pluck it out,” he said, “and be rid of it.”