Fox, Champagne Sworn In As Katy ISD Trustees

By George Slaughter

Rebecca Fox (Rebecca Fox photo)

Rebecca Fox and Dawn Champagne were sworn into office Monday night at the Katy Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting.

Fox, a motivational speaker, was elected to serve in the Position 6 seat. Fox rejoins the board after losing a reelection bid in 2019. Champagne, who works in retail sales, was reelected to her second term in the Position 7 seat.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, trustees selected Greg Shulte as board president, Lance Redmon as vice president, and Champagne as secretary.

Harwell, Lowry, and Lowery Appointed Principals

The board appointed Shae Harwell principal of Wilson Elementary, Leah Lowry principal of Beck Junior High, and Carrie Lowery principal of Katy Junior High.

Harwell began her career as a second-grade teacher in 2001 in Dallas. She joined the Spring Branch Independent School District in 2005 as a first-grade teacher and later worked as a counselor. In 2010, Harwell came to Katy, where she served as assistant principal at Fiedler Elementary. She joined the Hayes Elementary staff in 2014.

Lowry has been throughout her educational career. She joined the district in 2005 as a science educator at Memorial Parkway Junior High. Later, she became an instructional coach at that school. In 2010, Lory became assistant principal at WInborn Elementary and became principal in 2016.

Lowery began her career in 1996 in Lubbock. In 1997, she joined the Cy-Fair Independent School District. In 2001, she came to Katy and worked as a fourth-grade teacher at Memorial Parkway Elementary. She taught at Katy Elementary from 2002-07, when she became assistant principal at Hutsell Elementary. Lowery became principal at Rhodes Elementary in 2011, and in 2015 became principal at Bethke Elementary.

Moving Forward with a Virtual High School

Katy school board trustees Monday approved the district’s going forward with establishing a virtual high school, pending future guidance and funding from state officials.

The Katy ISD Virtual High School would be tuition-free and considered a full-time stand-alone virtual high school campus.

The virtual high school criteria and student eligibility include:

  • The virtual campus would have its own Texas Education Agency (TEA) campus code.
  • Students must submit an online application during a designated window of time.
  • Students must meet the required criteria for acceptance into the virtual high school.
  • Enrollment in the virtual high school would be for one calendar school year. Students would be able to elect to withdraw and return to their home campus during the summer and before the start of a new school year.
  • Students would graduate from the Katy ISD virtual high school and would earn a GPA, class rank (top 10%), and quartile rank with their virtual school cohort.
  • Students attending the virtual high school would not be eligible to participate in their home campus extracurricular activities.

“We have an excellent framework for a Katy ISD Virtual High School that could effectively support the delivery of unparalleled learning experiences to those students and families who may be interested in that learning option, should the state provide the necessary funding,” Superintendent Dr. Ken Gregorski said in a statement.

The virtual high school is not the same as the Katy Virtual Academy, which was created last year to provide online instruction during the pandemic. The virtual academy is set to be shut down at the end of the school year.

Last month, the district surveyed parents of secondary students to gauge interest in a virtual high school. More than 1,200 responses were received from parents who expressed an interest in their children attending a stand-alone virtual high school during the 2021-22 school year.

Other Actions Taken

In other action Monday, the board:

  • Approved the 2021-2022 Honors (Katy Advanced Program – KAP) courses identified as exempt from the state’s No-Pass, No-Play law.
  • Approved an Interlocal Agreement with Harris County Department of Education for specialized services at the Academic Behavior School West.
  • Approved an Interlocal Agreement with Harris County Department of Education for specialized therapy services.
  • Approved the 2021-2022 Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) Second Appraisers.
  • Received the 2021-2022 Budget Update.
  • Received the 2020-2021 Health Plan Update.
  • Received the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) Annual Report.
  • Approved the 2021-2022 School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) representatives.
  • Approved the 2021-2022 Student Accident Insurance renewal.
  • Approved the March 2021 financial reports.
  • Approval of the May 2021 budget amendments.
  • Approved additional department staffing needs to address growth for the 2021-2022 school year.
  • Approved the district’s spending allocation for the Teacher Incentive Allotment.
  • Approved a proposal for the Building Management Control System replacement at multiple campuses.
  • Approved the construction delivery methods and contractor selection criteria for capital construction projects associated with the $676 million bond authorization.
  • Approved a contract for the construction of Elementary School #44.
  • Approved a contract for design services necessary for the construction of High School #10 and Junior High School #18.
  • Approved a contract for design services necessary for the renovation and addition to Katy Elementary School.
  • Approved a contract for design services necessary for the renovation of Diane Winborn Elementary School.
  • Adopted a resolution pertaining to lease agreements.
  • Approved a Texas Association of School Boards Advocacy Resolution Proposal.
  • Approved the April 2021 meeting minutes.