By George Slaughter
The Katy Independent School District Board of Trustees will soon consider whether to place a $676 million bond on the May 1 ballot after a bond advisory committee recommended Wednesday that the board do so.
The bond package has four propositions:
- Proposition A: New schools, renovations, safety & security and building component replacements, for $591,368,568.
- Proposition B: Classroom & campus technology, for $59,755,242.
- Proposition C: Natatorium for the new High School #10, for $13,842,610.
- Proposition D: Campus athletic building component replacements, for $11,260,000.
The board will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. February 8 at the district’s Education Support Complex. It can approve any or all these propositions for voter consideration.
If the board approves the bond, the bond committee must sell it to voters. The committee must not merely tell voters about the propositions and what they cover, but they must also address state law-required language that says the measure is a property tax increase, regardless of whether a tax increase is involved.
Christopher Smith, the district’s chief financial officer, said Wednesday that the proposed bond will not exceed the present interest and sinking (called I&S) tax rate of 39 cents per $100 property valuation. The I&S tax rate will not exceed 39 cents, but the amount of property tax fluctuates with property valuations.
Committee members who volunteered to serve on the communications committee will meet from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Merrell Center to discuss how best to explain everything to voters. Dr. Andrea Grooms, the district’s chief communications officer, will lead that meeting.
The overall committee includes over 100 local parents, community leaders, retirees, teachers, students, and campus principals. They met January 13, January 20, and Wednesday evening, following the pandemic-required social distancing guidelines, to review the projected school enrollment growth and district financial capacity, among other issues, in developing a bond package proposal.
Voters in 2017 approved a $609 million bond package for the school district.