By George Slaughter
Walter Butler (Walter Butler photo)
Walter Butler, who works in sales, is seeking the Position 7 seat on the Katy Independent School District Board of Trustees.
He faces incumbent Dawn Champagne, who works in retail sales. She was elected in 2018.
Voters will also decide whether to approve a $676 million bond proposal. 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.
Early voting is April 19-29. Election Day is May 1.
1. Why do you want this job?
To help my community prosper.
2. Briefly discuss your professional background, and how that will help you if elected.
When I graduated high school I went to college to be an engineer. When I earned my bachelor’s degree in engineering I went to work in the oil & gas industry as a manufacturing engineer, and then I went to work for another company in oil & gas as a design engineer. I then earned my master’s degree in engineering and went to work as a project engineer with an offshore research company. I then got my MBA and went to work in the agricultural industry, first as a marketing representative, then as a product specialist, then sales, and now customer support manager. That’s 30+ years of industry experience, oil & gas and agricultural.
I feel that all the negotiations, the projects, the fiscal decisions, and the personalities managed and worked with will allow me to make the best decisions for Katy ISD going forward.
3. If elected, what would your top three priorities for the district be, and why?
- Getting all kids back to school face-to-face, safely. Rejecting self-interested influences that seek to use the pandemic to further its own agenda.
- Removing politics out of Katy ISD decisions.
- Promoting fiscal responsibility.
4. Do you support the $676 million bond issue that has been put on the ballot? What would you tell undecided voters about it?
It’s a great time to refinance debt or issue new debt. Rates are extremely low. And Katy ISD growth projections through 2030 are from the 85,000 now to 110,000 in 2030. However, the oil & gas industry is under attack from powerful interests. Looking at the S&P, energy is the lowest performing industry since the beginning of the pandemic. And Katy is full of oil & gas professionals. Take these jobs away and you will significantly weaken the tax base in Katy. Keep teaching kids that what Mom and Dad do for a living is bad and your not getting this industry back.
So yes, I support refinancing the $1.9 billion debt at these low interest rates. However, I’m not sure the growth projections will actually be attained by 2030 and would be reluctant to build more capacity based on these projections pre-pandemic.
5. Do you favor establishing a Virtual High School for the district to open in the upcoming school year? Why or why not?
Yes, there are enough special needs students in Katy ISD area to warrant pursuing this project.
6. Is there anything else about your candidacy that Katy News readers should know?
No.