KPGT Debate Final Questions and Closing Statements

Question #8: What changes, if any, should be made to school board policies?

• Cynthia Blackman (Positon 7) says biggest thing is transparency. Decisions are made in closed session.  Work study is not the place for voting.  It takes 3 members to place a taxpayer's concern on the agenda.  For years the dissension has been 6-1 or 5-2.  Wants open forum often so that she can hear concerns.  That is missing in the National, State and local levels.  
• Neal Howard (Position 7) would like to add penalties for bad behavior by board members.  He thinks the requirement of 3 members needed to add something to the agenda is fine.  You only need 3 people to talk about something, not to vote on it.  He would lower the gifting policy to a lower amount, like the cost of BBQ sandwich at Midway BBQ.
• Terri Majors (Position 6) said lots of policies need revising.  They are a thick document and they are gibberish and should be re-written to be clearer.  She would make a policy that prohibits voting on Work Study meetings, so public can talk about the concerns.  Also would increase open forum time.  
• Bryan Michalsky (Position 6) said a review of policy is good; he is not saying they need to change but would like to see discussion and debate.  Concern about needing 3 for an agenda item is a good point, but should talk about it.  Having more topics on the agenda and healthy debate is a good thing as it would improve the discourse among the trustees.  Penalties for violating policies should be added. 
• Betty Powell (Position 7) said the gifting policy under federal law the limit is $10, and that would be good.  Need boundaries.  Katy needs to not look out of control, as it has been recently.  Policies have lots of legal language and can be hard to understand.  To sum, all members need to come with an open mind.  

Question #9:  What other successful school districts across the state or nation should Katy ISD use as a benchmark and what benchmarks would you use?

• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) worked for Fort Bend ISD, and at that time principals were the instructional leaders and more involved on their campuses.  She also worked at HISD and New Orleans Public Schools.  The family feeling here is good.  Teachers here are teams and they grow and learn together in Katy.  
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) said no, Katy doesn't want to benchmark against other districts; we should be their benchmark.  Katy ISD is a destination district. We attract the best teachers.  "Why are you trying to be like everyone else, when everyone else wants to be like you?"
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) said we need to be the district other districts look to. North Richland Hills ISD is a strong district, and she would look to those districts that have achieved exemplary status.  Need to get all our schools to exemplary status.
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) said some of these things costs money, like visiting other ISDs. He is in favor of staff development travel. Best practices need to be found and shared. Teacher of the Year candidates discussed this in their interviews so it is happening now but could be funded more.
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) said "the heart of our schools are teachers".  KISD is a Recognized district, and Morton Ranch High School is acceptable.  Teachers need to be able to start teaching. Paperwork is burdensome and needs to be reduced.  Teacher morale is low due to what happened last year.  Administrators need to visit schools, and she wants to empower parents go into schools so they can help with a positive attitude.

Question #10:  How should Katy achieve its mission statement?  Katy Independent School District, the leader in educational excellence, together with family and community, provides unparalleled learning experiences designed to prepare and inspire each student to live an honorable, fulfilling life...to create the future.

• Terri Majors (Pos. 7) said that is what she'd like to see.  It is a lofty statement and good.  Should continue to work to make things better.  As Ms. Blackman said, we need to make teachers excited to come to school.  Years ago, they were, but not so much now.  We are a family community with outstanding programs that everyone is proud of and let's make us even prouder.
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 7) said communication is key. Board must do its job and have a very high-reaching vision.  Need to annually set measurable goals and direct the superintendent to achieve them.  Then, board needs to evaluate the progress toward the goals, and then share that with the public.  Need to get feedback from campuses.
• Betty Powell (Pos. 6) said Board members' duty is to review curriculum.  Technology should not work better at home than at school.  Tools need to work.
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 6) said the heart of this mission and of the schools are teachers.  Teachers have been forced recently to use KMAC.  KMAC shouldn't have to be used because teachers have their own methodologies.  KMAC steals a teachers ability to touch the heart of a student.  The requirement that teachers differentiate should be removed so that teachers can be empowered to do the job they were hired to do, which is to teach.  She also disagrees with reteaching and retesting, and would not require teachers to do it.  
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) believes public schools are a great thing.  Kids are shaping our future.  Kids are doing amazing things here and beyond the district.  Mission statement mentions community.  He thinks the district is doing a good job of building community-- evidenced by lots of emails received by the board during the rezoning process saying no one wants to leave their school.

Closing Statements:

• Charles Griffin (Pos. 7) had a written statement saying he will answer the questions posed on his website.
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) talked about his involvement in schools, coaching, Young Life, and his church.  He clarified that PBK doesn't tell the district where to build schools, the community does.  As for the statement "schools are built too soon and in the wrong place", he thinks the folks at Stanley Elem and WoodCreek Jr Hi would disagree, because they are severely overcrowded, in spite of opening new schools next year.  Land purchased for HS7 (currently under construction) was purchased in the 1980's when land was cheap, but was way out in the middle of nowhere.  Community entrusts the board to look far in to the future, and for instance to buy 120 acres in that location now would be extremely expensive. 
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) justified the numbers about enrollment as being in response to a public information request made in March, and told Neal to check those out.  She said "...I can reassure you that Dr. Proctor and Terry Huckaby are very much apprised of Robert's Rules of Order and they knew full well that they were within their right to do what they did at that particular Work Study".  She was personally rezoned 3 times, which was not mindful.  Wants to know what the district plans to do with the land that was recently purchased behind Powerhouse Church, which was not on any agenda.  She doesn't agree with moving busing to beyond 2 miles because there is too much traffic.  She pledges an open door policy and will represent everyone on the Board.  She will provide diverse thoughts and 22 years classroom experience.  She is a small business owner and is a stakeholder in the district and wants to keep things under control.  She is concerned about academics has some ideas she wants to implement to improve academics.  She wants academics improved by empowering teachers.  They are the heart of the district, and she relishes the thought of walking into a school as your board member and supporting your teachers and administrators.  She can look into a classroom and see that they don't need flat screen TV's, but instead the teacher needs more help or more books, because "she has been there".
• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) worked for Katy ISD until last spring and has recent experience in the classrooms and working with teachers.  She is a technology specialist and knows Katy because she worked in every school.  Wants to run for School Board because she cares about the kids and is invested in the district.  Her husband is a teacher at Katy High School.  Moved here because they wanted to teach in great schools.  She wants to keep Katy great.  Her only agenda is the kids.  She has high integrity because she has been vetted by the US Marshal's office.  She promised to do her best and won't run to the press and embarrass KISD.  She would handle conflict at the table with other board members.  Can help with curriculum because she has a bachelor's degree in that area.  She can offer expertise with technology currently in the schools; for instance, we don't have "flat screen TVs", they are flat screen monitors which are lots cheaper.  The TV signal they get is from the district's "tower" which is like a server.  Loves the community and is passionate about Katy.
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) said Katy ISD has been a source of pride for a long time.  It attracts great families and teachers.  We must give kids exceptional opportunities.  He is a fiscal conservative and understands prioritizing budget needs.  He would like to return support positions to the classrooms so they run as efficiently as possible and free up teachers to teach.  Should strive to run the district as efficiently as possible and non-instructional areas need to justify their expenses every year.  His experience as Chief Financial Officer will help the district deal with periods of economic uncertainty like last year. Primary objective is to provide students with a sound, quality education that will serve them after graduation. He has 4 kids and a rising kindergartener, so is invested in the district for 13 more years. To meet that objective, the board needs to give exceptional goals to the superintendent and then evaluate him on them.  The district needs a strong and diverse board to do this.  His experience as a business executive would be useful on a board which already has 2 educators, a volunteer, a foundation director and a small business owner.  He is prepared to build relationships, listen to all points of view, provide leadership, and make informed decisions for the benefit of our students, teachers, and taxpayers.  
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) pledged to protect programs and advanced curriculum that are effectively educating our students.  Must continue to offer accelerated learning opportunities.  She prefers site based decisions.  Top-down decision making is not working.  They need guidelines and a good mission statement.  Data needs to be honest and open.  For example, both Morton Ranch HS and Mayde Creek HS are praised in the article in the Chronicle, but she is concerned people will think they are performing at an exemplary level, and that is not true; both campuses are "Acceptable". Their SAT scores are "frighteningly low".  MRHS average is 973, and students need 2000+ to get into our best colleges.  MCHS's average is 975.  We need to educate all our students.  These 2 campuses are  economically disadvantaged and that impacts learning and we need to provide the extra support that is needed.  Also, laws don't protect GT program monies from State and Federal government.  Are we spending it wisely and can we get more dollars?  Need board members who are willing to fight hard for change.  She is willing to do that.  She was principal at a very at-risk elementary, Golbow for 13 years.  

KPGT Forum Recap Part 2

Here is the next group of questions asked at the KPGT forum.  If my notes are too cryptic and you want a full quote, let me know and I'll transcribe if for you.  This is intended as a recap, but I want it to be understandable.  If I've missed the mark, let me know...

Question #3: Given that capacities in buildings have changed due to growth in the district, changing demographics, etc, how is it best to do rezoning?  Is it time to do a broader rezoning throughout the district?

• Betty Powell (Pos. 7): There must be a better way, but we don't have a crystal ball.  Many opinions are needed to analyze the situation.  Let's hope we continue to have this problem!
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) says it's time to at least study the budgetary and community impact of a district rezone.  It's inevitable.  Not sure he's for it, but it's time to review it.  Also would like to review the current process, to make sure that every area potentially impacted gives input.  
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) says rezoning is difficult and she isn't sure it can be made better, but agrees with Michalsky about getting more public input.  She believes in neighborhood schools.  Says we should look at other districts to see what they do to get as much public input as possible.
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) talked about the board doing a limited rezoning of three high schools several years ago, and one benefit was moving closer to pure feeder patterns.  Would be in favor of a district rezone to achieve pure feeder patterns, but not to just balance capacity.  
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) said "in the last 4 years, Katy ISD's enrollment has declined.  The only year since Alton Frailey has been our superintendent where our enrollment actually went up was in 2008, when we grew by 120 students."  [an aside from me: But see...  ]  Problem is that we build schools too soon in the wrong place based on bad demographics.  We need better demographics and PBK shouldn't pick where we build Jr. High and High Schools schools. 

Question #4:  Political discourse has come to Katy.  What would you do to bring unity to the board and focus the board so the district work can be done?

• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) says there is no transparency.  Vote for someone you can trust; an honest leader who will be open.  Vote for her and you'll know what you are getting.
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) said the shenanigans of Washington have come to Katy and we've seen a lot of it in the last year.  It's remarkable that it hasn't filtered down to students.  We would suspend students who behave as board members have been behaving.  Job is to study, discuss, try to persuade, and vote, but not to walk out on meetings to avoid that activity. That doesn't work at any level, much less here where the community expects the board to do the job of educating 62,000 students. 
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) is concerned about unity on the board.  Dissension has trickled down from Washington.  Must have transparency and openness.  Must talk to public.  Wants to increase the time for public comments.  The board should listen and do what taxpayers and patrons want them to do. 
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) agrees with Neal Howard and says the walkout (by Proctor and Huckaby) was politically motivated.  That has no place on the board.  Elected to represented different viewpoints, and trustees need to stick around and express those views.  We need to build better relationships and communicate goals better.  He is in favor of more debates.
• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) says we need to develop better communication and restore trust with the community.  The school board needs to communicate ends, which means to communicate the results that are sought.  The website and planned webcast meetings will increase openness.  When openness comes, trust will increase.

Question #5: RE: budget cuts: If not teachers, what would you cut?

• Terri Majors (Pos. 6): stop paying for consultants.  Make people on salary do that work.  Look at busing.  Look at HVAC bills and increase temperatures to reduce bills. 
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) would look at busing.  Bill Moore has saved the district lots of money  by refinancing bonds.  He would continue to look at that kind of savings.  
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) would cut central administration which is 4% of the budget (?)  She would get rid of consultants like the one payed 48K to recommend budget cuts.  Would depend more on maintenance rather than replacing components and stop buying astroturf that needs to be watered.  She would also stop buying flat screen TVs. which are only used for announcements. 
• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) would cut some technology.  She wants to use what we have better.  Wants to bring more money into the district, like by having more events at the Merrell Center and putting ads on buses.  
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) would outsource the tax office.  He would  also look at cutting community education, which is great but doesn't go to our mission of educating K-12 students.  He would also look at eliminating busing to the 2 mile state requirement.  

Question #6: RE: recent Chronicle article that indicated magnet schools in HISD are very successful.  Is it time for KISD to have a magnet school for GT students?

• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) said we looked at that 2 years ago with the IB program.  It raised lots of questions and the program, though "neat", would have cost a lot of money.  He could not justify that during times when money is short.
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) disagreed.  She said we need special campuses, like the DeBakey medical magnet and the HSPVA, a science school at Rice, etc.  Katy should do that because it would make us an outstanding district and would be wonderful for our kids. 
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) supports all the outstanding programs but creating a special school is most likely cost prohibitive given our current financial situation.  He suggests working on improving programs at all campuses.  HSPVA is great, but all of our campuses have great fine arts programs.  We should focus on providing great programs for all our students. 
• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) agrees with Majors and Michalsky because we can research and crunch the numbers.  If other districts do it, why can't we? She "wants Quality over Quantity."  
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) said the article revealed there are 7 exemplary high schools in HISD and none in Katy ISD.  Is it due to magnets?  She doesn't know.  Need more money in the classroom.  Is it feasible?  Not now.  

Question #7: After last year's cuts, what should be restored, and how would you do it?

• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 6) doesn't know, but believes that everything should be looked at yearly to justify the expense.  He believes in great classroom instruction, but also as parents, we try to develop our kids interests and talents, and we want the district to do the same.  The litmus test should be: how does it prepare kids for the world after Katy ISD?
• Terri Majors (Pos. 6) would restore curriculum specialists to the administration level.  (They were moved to the campuses.) A lot of those people made more money at the admin building, but now they are sent back to campuses, so no one is helping teachers at the administration building.  She would also get RNs back on campuses.  Also, technology support that was removed from campuses needs to be restored, because teachers need an in-house technologist.  
• Neal Howard (Pos. 7) says his focus would be on classroom sizes that we are moving to, especially in Jr. High.  That's were programs should not be cut because that is where children are exploring. Main thing is to get more teachers on campuses.
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 7) would restore bilingual staff and special ed aides.  Also would restore the stipends paid to team leaders.  Bottom line: don't cut anything.  Bilingual kids should not be bused but should have their own neighborhood school.  Currently they are bused a long distance to  "that Maurice Wolfe area".
• Betty Powell (Pos. 7) said the wounds of last year's cuts are still fresh.  Need to reexamine all areas cut.  She would look for weak areas by asking community and teachers.  Would reconsider all cuts but especially those that impact kids.  Instructional coaches should be beefed up.  They should get GT training first, because they are modeling for other teachers.

Whew!  I'll finish tomorrow.

KPGT Forum Recap Part I

Tuesday night's Candidates' Forum hosted by KPGT had a slightly different format from the Rotary Forum.  Candidates gave opening statements, answered two questions drafted by KPGT, and audience members submitted additional questions.  Questions and answers went until 8:30, when candidates made closing statements.  Unfortunately, Charles Griffin was unable attend due to a work conflict.  However, in his closing, he indicated he would take all the questions from the evening and answer them on his website.

The opening statements did not add anything that wasn't already covered in either my recent blogs about the Rotary, the Houston Chronicle articles about the Postion 6 race and the Position 7 race, or the Katy Times questionnaire.  The Times also had a good story covering the forum which sadly only seems to be available in the print edition (Thurs. 4/16, pg. 1A)

Q #1: According to one recent estimate, the shortfall in the state budget will be $10-$13 Billion in the next legislative session.  What will you do to preserve the quality of Katy ISD education in the face of such shortfalls?

• Bryan Michalsky (Postion 7) said he opposes cutting classroom instruction.  Last year we lost some teachers positions and a lot of support positions.  Texas is responding better than other states and he hopes the shortfall will be less than predicted.  However, we need to protect programs that give kids opportunities.  Must continue to look at other areas to cut.  Operations needs to justify spending on an annual basis.  
• Terri Majors (Postion 7) said there is lots of "wiggle room".  There was plenty of money last year and there was no need to fire any teachers.  We did not need to cut staff, and she is angry about it.  Katy needs to keep instruction just like it is and make it better.  Instruction needs to be at the top of the budget, and teachers need to get the perks they need to stay in the district. Teachers are looking elsewhere because the climate has been negative.  Should increase pay for teachers.  Need to get more teachers to come to Katy.  "Another thing we don't look at very often, we keep saying that Katy is growing and growing and growing.  However, our population in the schools is actually decreasing because students are being home schooled and because they are going to private schools. We need to look at those numbers and say 'uh-oh' what are we doing and how to get those kids to come back."  Wow... But see this...
• Neal Howard (Position 6) thinks that the best thing is to keep the shortfall from happening by working through the courts and with our legislators.  Will advocate doing what we did last year, which is to leave instruction, give teachers a raise, and cut everything else.  Wants to maintain programs, and may have to do that by increasing user fees.  Also wants to look at buying buses that run on natural gas.  
• Cynthia Blackman (Position 6) advocates cutting central administration, because Dr. Merrell had 4-5 assistant superintendents and Mr. Frailey has 15.  Would never cut teachers or teacher salaries.  Would not cut Special Ed aides like the district is currently doing.  Also would look severely at new construction.  Schools are built too soon, too grandiose, and savings must go to classrooms.  All dollars need to go to instruction; right now about half of the money per student goes to instruction.
• Betty Powell (Postion 6) says last year's layoffs and displacement was uncalled for.  Yes, they got jobs but many took pay cuts.  She knows someone who lost their home.  Would never cut teachers, custodians, drivers, anyone who supports educating children.  As a technologist, she knows where stuff is that has never been used.  As a trustee, she could look at technology and see what is needed and what is extra, and now there is no one on the board who can do that.  And no candidate other than herself has that experience.

Q#2:  Gifted and Talented students need special education services.  Specifically, what will you do to seek improvement within GT education in Katy ISD?

• Neal Howard (Pos. 6) says he's not qualified to answer those questions but knows there are people in our district who do, and he would take the reins off them and let them do their jobs.
• Terri Majors (Pos. 7) says programs are great, but they are special ed under the law.  Handicapped children get lots more money and treatment than GT.  Need to look at expanding programs for GT. Currently, elementary kids are pulled out one day a week.  In secondary, we need more programs.  Need to enrich and spend more money on our GT programs.
• Bryan Michalsky (Pos. 7) said awareness about GT education needs to be increased.  They need to be challenged.  Agrees with Majors that elementary Challenge program is a valuable program.  In secondary, the AP program is very good but other things can be done to challenge older students.  We celebrate our athletes and fine artists and we need to do that for our most gifted students as well.  We have good programs, but there is always room for improvement.  Awareness is key.
• Betty Powell (Pos. 6) taught GT most of her career. Usually Challenge classes are in temporary buildings.  They need to have more storage, a sink, access to library and computers in those classrooms.  Should get "regular" teachers certified for GT.  Our teachers get dual certification in ESOL, but not in GT.  Teachers who teach to the top get better results for all their students because of increased rigor.  
• Cynthia Blackman (Pos. 6) taught GT most of her career.  Often, the GT kids get to be the tutor or the helper in the regular classroom.  In High School, the AP program needs to be improved.  GT kids should not have to be responsible for the curriculum taught on the day they were pulled out.  Would like increased funding to go to GT/Advanced Academics program.  Kids might be gifted in some things but not in others.

More tomorrow...

KPGT Forum Recap, and What Does the Board Do?

Last night's Candidates'g Forum hosted by KPGT was well attended, and I am glad there are more people paying attention to the condition of our school board, because it impacts our entire community.  Because we are so close to early voting (it starts on Monday), I will recap in a less thorough way than I did the Rotary Forum, in the interest of this space and your time.  That won't really start until tomorrow, as I've been dealing with a plumber all day.  <sob>

Also, FYI, Mrs. Blackman and Mrs. Majors have answered the questionnaire posted by the Taylor Band Boosters, so now all candidates have responded.

Before I get started with the recap, I wanted to share this article from Great Schools about How to Choose a School Board Candidate, and in particular these paragraphs on What They Do:

• Somewhere in between the agendas, public comment sessions and resolutions, school boards make a number of important decisions. School boards establish a vision for the community's schools. They have to set up and maintain an effective, efficient organizational structure for the district that lets the superintendent and administrators manage the schools, teachers teach and students learn.
• They are responsible for hiring and evaluating a superintendent, evaluating and adopting policies that affect all schools in the district, serving as a judicial and appeals body when conflicts go unresolved, monitoring and adjusting district finances, and managing the collective bargaining process in the district.
• A school board has a symbolic role as well. The behavior it shows off in the meeting room, the rapport among school board members and the relationships that members have with teachers and administrators in the district all add up to the climate of public education in a community. Whether healthy or dysfunctional, a school board has a heavy influence on the spirit that characterizes a community's impression of its school system.

I hope everyone who is voting thinks about this as they make their decisions.  I think it is telling that Neal Howard said, in response to a question about which policies the candidates would like to change, was that the Board's policies need penalties for bad behavior.  He said the "shenanigans of Washington" have come to Katy, and we would suspend students who behave as board members have been behaving.  I find this so sad because in the past, the Board has been able to adopt rules and expect them to be honored.  Now, that does not seem possible.

More specifics on the forum to come...

5. Candidates' Volunteer Work. Also, a Note on Board Responsibilities

Before I finish these questions, just a reminder that Katy Parents of Gifted and Talented is hosting a Candidate's Forum TOMORROW, Tuesday, April 24, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Morton Ranch High School.  Come and check them out for yourself! They will take questions from the audience, so bring some good ones.  To help craft questions, the responsibilities of School Boards include:

• governing and overseeing the management of the District;
• developing relationships with other public entities;
• setting the vision and goals of the District and Superintendent;
• monitoring the success of the District and Superintendent toward those goals;
• adopting the District’s budget and dealing with its property;
• monitoring District finances and reporting to the community;
• setting the tax rate;
• calling for a bond or tax rate election;
• deciding area boundary modifications for campuses;
• establishing policies for operating the District and ensuring its financial viability;
• employing the Superintendent; 
• hearing complaints; and
• overseeing curriculum.

Recap of Katy ISD Candidate's Forum hosted by Rotary of Katy, Part 6:

5.  What volunteer work have you done in Katy ISD?

• Position 7:
• Charles Griffin said his most rewarding volunteer experience was working the 8th grade dance at CRJH.
• Betty Powell said as an educator she contributed lots of "free hours", such as working as a Saturday science teacher.  She is most proud of writing proposals to teach other teachers on how to integrate science and technology. 
• Cynthia Blackman tutored and mentored students K-12.  
• Neal Howard was the Exxon Mobile Science Ambassador to Fielder Elem and CRHS.  He taught Junior Achievement and calculus, served on the 2002 Leadership Katy, 2006 Bond Committee, was Trustee for last 3 years, referees High School basketball outside of Katy and YMCA basketball in Katy. 
• Postion 6:
• Terri Majors said being a principal took all her time, but she has tutored and mentored since retiring.  While principal, she coached Destination Imagination and worked on theater projects at her school.
• Bryan Michalsky enjoyed working on the 8th grade dance at Beckendorff and coaching his childrens' teams.  He also leads a men's bible study group about biblical fatherhood at Parkway Fellowship.  

4. Why build new elementary schools if some are below capacity?

Recap of Katy ISD Candidate's Forum hosted by Rotary of Katy, Part 5:

4.  Why is it we are building new elementary schools when many of the ones we have are below capacity?

• Cynthia Blackman (Position 7) has 3 issues with this and has been rezoned three times, so this issue is near and dear to her heart. Katy builds schools too soon, in the wrong locations, and on faulty demographics.  Katy hired a demographer, Pat Guzman, for 6 figures, but her data is "plus or minus 9%" which is too big a discrepancy.  This has been going on for decades.  She would get rid of the in-house demographers and get better demographics.  She would make architects stop telling us when to build schools.  PBK has built every junior high and high school built since 1999.  That must stop.  She supports neighborhood elementary schools.  Otherwise, we need to look at rezoning Jr. Highs and High schools until we get this under control.  New high school is huge, and there is no way that you can build a school that large and not expect to be rezoned.  
• Betty Powell (Position 7) says her focus is on people over stuff; it is more important to have good people in place rather than fancy buildings.  At the same time, she wants to do research and figure out where schools are needed.  She was at WoodCreek Elementary last spring and there were so many temporary buildings she couldn't find the classroom.  Then, she heard they were going to need to put temporaries over the playground and install port-a-potties to serve them.  We need new schools, but they need to be put in the right place.  Do homework to figure out where they should go.  Do what's best for the kids, and kids need playgrounds. 
• Charles Griffin (Position 7) said he is not sure he agrees with the statement about schools being under staffed.  Schools are designed to hold 1000 kids.  Don't let them get overcrowded.  Projections are hard to do.  Who knew the economic downturn would last 4 years? No one.  Forecasts are pretty good.  We fill our schools up.  The question seems to assume the district is wasting its resources, and he doesn't agree.  The timing from planning to bonds to building takes time.  We need the assets in place for kids to go to school because our most important decision is investing in education.  He wants to build the district so that kids graduate and move back here with their families and businesses so our district continues to grow.  It is growing at 2000 students per year and it's the 68th largest district.  It's a district he is proud of and everyone should be proud, too.  He would rather have the assets in place to deal with the growth and then move forward.  
• Bryan Michalsky (Position 6) said rezoning is the most difficult and thankless decision School Boards make, because someone is going to be upset.  Surveys show everyone wants proximity and stability, and they want a neighborhood school, particularly at the elementary level.  However, some schools are under utilized in some parts of our district.  At some point, we need to consider and talk about a district-wide rezoning.  He would be open to that discussion as your Trustee.  He needs more information and community input and budget impact will need to be looked at before he can say how he feels about that, but he thinks it should be looked at.  Criteria to be considered include proximity, stability, building capacities, keeping land use zones intact, enrollment projections, balancing enrollments and feeder patterns.  When HS7 goes online next year, that will be a difficult decision.  There will be rezoning, and some displacement and it will be interesting to see how the community comes together on this issue.
• Terri Majors (Position 7) said new construction is happening all over the district.  We need new schools, but we need to look at under filled schools.  Spring Branch ISD grew and grew and built and built and their students grew up and left.  She doesn't see that happening in Katy, but she worries we are overbuilding, particularly high schools.  For instance, Griffin Elementary's enrollment will be way down next year, because of the way things were rezoned.  Why want a school with 750 students in a building that holds 1000 while we are bringing in temporaries at other campuses.  She related the logistical challenges faced at Golbow when enrollment got very high. It was horrible.  Need to always think about what is best for kids.  Need to be careful of taxpayers money and about what we will do when schools don't fill up.  Bryan is right in that rezoning hurts everyone but we need to all get together about it and decide what is really best for the kids.
• Neal Howard (Position 6) is a firm believer in neighborhood schools.  Busing kids to balance school numbers is efficient but not in the best interest of the kids.  Griffin being at 750 is just not the case and we need to get the numbers right on that.  The district has balanced numbers by shifting some Seven Lakes students to Cinco Ranch HS and some CRHS students to Taylor.  He likes having some degree of stability, but it needs to be balanced with what is in the financial best interest of the district as a whole.  He defended Pat Guzman's numbers and explained that long term predictions are less accurate but the closer the date gets, the better the numbers are.  This is where a Trustee's judgement comes into play.  Trustees try to make decisions looking at if the numbers are off, what hurts us the least.  He was surprised a couple of months ago to learn that 60% of our campuses are "closed", meaning they are full and can't take transfers.  Just because the capacity is 1030 doesn't mean it isn't full.  Sometimes a classroom's design capacity is 25, but since it's being used as a special ed classroom it's full at 5.  He is in favor of pure feeder patterns, and hears that parents and students like that, too.  Several administrators have told him that if there is one thing they could do to help, it is pure feeder patterns.   

3. What will you do to continue the excellence Katy ISD has enjoyed and deal with changes from the State?

Recap of Katy ISD Candidate's Forum hosted by Rotary of Katy, Part 4:

3.  What will you do to continue the excellence Katy ISD has enjoyed and deal with changes from the State?

• Bryan Michalsky (Position 6) said Katy is still a "destination district", attracts the best and brightest teachers, enjoys 75,000 applications for teaching positions, terrific programs like fine arts and athletics, however last years cuts and layoffs gave Katy ISD a black eye, even though only 9 out of 341 total staff cuts were teachers.  Teachers are having to do more with less.  Hopes that state funding will return to earlier levels, but uncertainty is still present.  He would be in favor of rewarding teachers by increasing teacher salaries, and require departments justify their needs annually rather than automatically increase budgets if more money comes in from the State next year  because it is the fiscally responsible thing to do.  Katy ISD's reputation is strong but perhaps less than it was.  The Board must set exceptional goals for the district and direct the Superintendent to achieve those goals.
• Charles Griffin (Position 7) said he would focus on vision and goals that are realistic, achievable, and measurable.  Leaders must empower the professionals that have brought Katy ISD to excellence.  We are excellent because we trust our educators and administrators. "Give 'em a goal and get out of the way", but a feedback loop is needed.  WoodCreek Jr. High last year was so crowded they didn't get to use lockers.  It took a year for that issue to get to a school board member who is making an issue out of it for the new Seven Lakes Jr. High, because the feedback needs to be improved.  However, it doesn't need a board member's action, because teachers, students and administrators handled it without micromanagement.  He would lead without micro managing and trust the professional educators to handle local and State issues.  
• Betty Powell (Position 7) said communication needs to be improved and all stakeholders need a voice.  We have 6300 employees, is the largest employee in Katy, and we need to work together.  Layers of communication are important like newspapers, phone calls, etc, but also start talking to your kids and ask them about technology and how it's used in classes.  Improve the web page (www.katyisd.org).  She wants to better use what we have, rather than buy more.  When in graduate school and first employed by Katy ISD she was the envy of her grad school classmates, who all wanted to go to work at Katy.  Now when she talks about Katy on the outside, it is no longer thought of as a progressive, high-technology district any more, and we need to return to that. 
• Cynthia Blackman (Position 7) said transparency is critical, and mentioned the Sunny award that KISD did not win but which went to FBISD and CyFair ISD.  She is worried about our ratings.  Katy is a Recognized district but the average SAT scores since 2003 to 2009 were "not excellent": 1093, 1092, 1100, 1099, 1088, 1079, 1080.  She said Katy ISD was not preparing children for college because "very shocking" data from the Texas Higher Coordinating Education Board showed the 6 (not 4) year completion rate for children graduating high school in 2002-04 for Katy HS was 588 out of 1159 graduates, or 33%, CRHS (756/1712 or 44%), and MCHS (420/1865 or 23%), THS (809/1736 or 47%) and KISD overall was 2573/7272 or 35%.  For 2010, 5499 of Katy ISD's high school grads had not finished college.  What happened to them?  Are they living with Mom and Dad?  Low paying jobs?  Married with babies?  What happens to these kids?
• Shame on Mrs. Blackman for implying this data indicates a failure on the part of the district!  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's explanation of the data shows that it only includes "degrees earned by Texas public high school students from Texas public and independent higher education institutions", meaning that all the Katy ISD grads who can't get into A&M or UT due to the 10% rule and go to LSU, OSU, OU, or those who go to Harvard, Yale, and any other out-of-state school are not included in the data as college completers, but are there in the High School graduate numbers.  
•  Neal Howard (Position 7) said the data shows more kids are taking college entrance exams, with improving scores, and are getting into college.  More kids are taking advantage of Career and Technology education to get certificates.  We have outstanding Performing Arts Centers that give students great opportunities they would not have had otherwise.  The community should be proud of that.  He worked on the Teacher of the Year committee, and outstanding stuff is going on in Katy ISD.  The State has caused us some problems.  The lawsuit the district joined against the state to make the legislature meet the constitutional requirement to fund education.  He also wants to improve the student/teacher ratios particularly in secondary schools.
• Terri Majors (Position 6) said Katy is fairly high ranking when compared with the state in general, but is not "A Plus" any more.  She echoed Mrs. Blackman's data about completion rates, and said students are not graduating with skills.  Many high school grads need remedial classes at community college.  Writing is very important and it bothers her that students are graduating unable to write well.  We have to look at State budgets and mandates carefully.  The loss of only 9 teachers is incorrect-- hundreds of teachers left last year.  Talk to teachers in the community.  She is concerned teachers have to teach to the test, and many students spend way too much time preparing for a bad test.  She is not sure what a school board member can do about that, but she would be a voice for "...making changes in the way we look at those test results." 
• Mrs. Majors and Mr. Michalsky seem to be saying very different things about teacher layoffs, but here is the deal:  There are always "hundreds" of teachers who leave every year-- they quit to have families, to retire, to enter the private sector, etc, so Mrs. Majors is, in a sense, correct.  However, only 9 teaching POSITIONS were lost due to the layoffs, so Mr. Michalsky is correct.  

2. If elected, what is the first and most important thing you want the board to enact?

Recap of Katy ISD Candidate's Forum hosted by Rotary of Katy, Part 3:

2.  If elected, what is the first and most important thing you want the board to enact?

• Position 7 race:
• Neal Howard said he was glad that the the board had authorized web-casting the meetings and expected that to happen soon.  He said that the first thing the board would do is move into the budget cycle, and if funding is still low he would fight to maintain the focus on keeping dollars in the classroom.  He said if funding is improved, he would bump up teacher salaries and increase the number of teachers.
• Cynthia Blackman said her first priority would be to increase the amount of time people speaking in open forum would have to address the board, and would work to make it possible for members of the public to put issues on the agenda.
• Betty Powell said as a new board member she would be a good listener in order to figure out the job.  Half of communication is listening.  She would do research and work to "take care of the present while looking to the future".  She has no personal agenda, and is "about the kids".  She is ready to work.
• Charles Griffin said he knows a lot of teachers and administrators, and the biggest complaint he hears is that we have great ideas but they are hard to follow through from campuses up.  He would work to improve communication by establishing a process for teachers, parents, students to provide feedback.  As a school board member, he would look to trends to see and correct problems. This would work to help improve transparency.
• Position 6 race:
• Bryan Michalsky said the first thing that happens after being sworn in is to elect next year's school board president, and he would look for a change and a new kind of leadership.  He would like to see the board president delegate tasks to the other board members and engage them, and utilize the fairly diverse skill sets and talents of board members.  He also would look at the requirement of needing 3 members to put an item on the agenda, but recognizes that controls to avoid a single trustee hijacking the agenda is appropriate. However, he favors discussion and debate on issues. He would also review other policies, such as the policy of the school board president being the sole spokesman to the media, because right now, some trustees respect that rule but other trustees are ignoring it.  He would also work to get more interaction with the public, and more communication up and down the line with more input from teachers, etc. 
• Terri Majors said she had been in education 41 years, introduced her husband, and said she has two sons and grandsons.  She would work to increase communication and transparency, and thanked Bill Proctor, Terry Huckaby and Henry Dibrell for working to get school board meetings web cast.  She would change the amount of time patrons can speak to the board at open forum, as it is insufficient.  Also, she would change the rule requiring 3 members to add something to the agenda, as it is unusual.  Katy is one of the few districts that imposes such a rule.  She would also work to reduce bond debt.

Sorry; gotta disagree here-- the 3 members to put an item on the agenda thing is NOT unique to Katy ISD.  It is not uncommon to have some sort of check so that the board is considering only items for which there is sufficient interest to make a change.  From a cursory review of some nearby and large districts, I found Houston ISD requires 3, and Plano, Fort Bend, Magnolia, Round Rock, Pasadena, Arlington, ISDs all require 2.  Dallas ISD allows one member to request a report but 3 to put an item on the regular agenda for a vote. Austin ISD allows one member to make a request to a committee that an item be put on the agenda, but if the committee rejects it, the entire board has to vote to put it on the agenda or not.  Larger districts have a lot of business to transact and a tool that focuses the board is not a bad idea.  

1. How Will Katy ISD Be Better If You Are Elected?

Recap of Katy ISD Candidate's Forum hosted by Rotary of Katy, Part 2:

1.  How Will Katy ISD Be Better If You Are Elected?

• Position 6 Race: 
• Terry Majors said she had been a campus principal for 18 years, and there are lots of wonderful things happening on campuses.  She said she has the knowledge about what needs to happen at the campus level for the kids.
• Bryan Michalsky said he would bring his professional experience to the district, because the biggest challenge facing the district is funding.  He is the Chief Financial Officer of a local business, Cotton Industries.  He has 4 children currently in school, and a child who will enter kindergarten next year, so he has a vested interest in the district for the next 13 years.  He is a problem solver who listens to different points of view and gathers data to make up his mind.  He is a relationship builder.  Katy ISD is a Destination District which attracts families and the best teachers.  He moved here for the schools, like so many others.
• Position 7 Race:
• Charles Griffin said he is a Katy High School graduate, as is his father, his wife and 2 of his children.  He has two children still in KISD.  He believes KISD's biggest problem is the leadership of the school board.  He is a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel and 737 pilot for United Airlines, and at one point was furloughed from the airline for 2 years and 10 months.  Also, his wife lost her position at Griffin Elementary in last spring's layoffs.  He understands the process of being furloughed.  He feels the way the layoffs were handled went badly.  If had been on the board at the time they would have been handled differently.  As a captain and military officer, he feels prepared to work with different people and different issues.
• Betty Powell said the district would be better because education is her heart and passion for learning and teaching.  She was a teacher for 23 years, the last 11 at Katy.  She retired last spring.  She has worked in every building in Katy ISD because she was a campus technologist and a district technology specialist.  She has a global view of what is happening in the district.  Her background is in technology so can help move the district forward and make sure the students all have the opportunities they need for the future, like webinars and virtual schools.  She "thinks outside the box, but colors within the lines".  She currently works for the U.S. Marshal's service as a trainer who develops e-learning.  She wants to bring those skills to the district.
• Cynthia Blackman started her remarks by saying she almost won last time she ran, and would talk more about that later.  She has one son who graduated from CRHS and attends HCC.  She and her husband own a business here, and she is concerned about taxes.  Last year's teacher layoff was tragic.  She taught 22 years and is also a tutor.  She would look at the budget and NEVER cut teachers.  Teacher morale is low, and there is a lack of support for teachers.  As a school board member, she would go into campuses and evaluate what is going wrong.  She is not afraid to go into a school building as a school board member and evaluate what is going on in schools.  She wants to evaluate what is going on at the campuses.  She wants to get rid of TVs in class rooms and add special ed teachers and teacher's aides.  
• Neal Howard remarked on the big turnout, and introduced his wife and youngest daughter.  He has two in college.  He has been on the board for 3 years and has 3 years of a voting record to review.  He does his homework and shows up prepared.  He thinks independently, and brings a long-term perspective.  He described himself as "cheap", but said his focus is always on student achievement.  He brings a strong financial background, evaluating proposals for an oil and gas company, and he said board work is very similar.  He voted for the 2010 bond which is being used to build all the new schools in the district.  He was against a budget measure on benefits because it would have cost teachers and staff more money for health care.  He opposed the IB program and would have preferred to repair rather than replace the big screen at Rhodes.  

The questions were asked in "ballot order" on the first question, and the next questions were asked in different order so who answered first rotated among the candidates.  In the next posts, I'll recap the answers in the order they were given, not in the order they will appear on the ballot.  

Getting to Know the Candidates for School Board, Part I

The best thing about the candidate's forum was the crowd!  Way to go, Katy!  I would guess about 100 people came; HUGE numbers-- Often, these things have drawn maybe 5-6 people who weren't married to a candidate.  Rotary Club did a great job hosting the event, and I hope they will step up make this a tradition.

In general, I liked the format.  I thought it was a bit odd that they dove into questions with no opening statements, and also had no closing.  However, all the candidates managed to pack in plenty of information as they answered the 5 questions posed by the moderator.  The questions were open-ended enough to require thoughtful responses, and I think most people left the forum feeling like they knew the candidates a bit better.  Over the next 5 days I will take a question and recap their answers.

Also check out their thoughts via the answers posted to a questionnaire from the Taylor Band Boosters.  Most candidates have answered; I will repost when answers from Mrs. Blackman and Mrs. Majors are up.   

Don't forget KPGT's forum on April 24th at Morton Ranch High School.  7:00 p.m.

CANDIDATE FORUM TONIGHT!

Forums for Katy ISD School Board Start tonight!  Try to make one or the other in order to cast an informed vote for school board.

• April 17, 6:30 p.m., Merrell Center: Hosted by Rotary Club of Katy
• April 24, 7:00 p.m., Morton Ranch High School: Hosted by Katy Parents of Gifted and Talented
• Still trying to find info on a Katy Area Republicans forum...

Early voting starts April 30.  Dates, locations, times can be found here.

The Grass is Always Greener... Or Is It?

Did you really think "what happens in Katy stays in Katy"?


I just got back from a terrific trip visiting my wonderful son in St. Louis.  He gave me a New York Times article about how last year's cuts in funding impacted Texas schools.  Another  article shows Katy only lost 9 teachers in last year's layoffs, out of 341 total positions cut.  Talking to people, I realize many have no idea how we compare with other districts in the area.  Katy weathered the storm of State budget cuts last year better than most.  I'm not saying the only bar we have to meet is that set by our neighbors, but I am saying that it can be illustrative to look outside our Bubble!  


The information in the NYTimes article on how other ISDs deal with busing is interesting.  In Katy, busing is a place where money can be saved, and it should be looked at as the school district reviews the budget for next year. Folks are right when they say it would be good for kids to walk to school; it's part of a healthy lifestyle.  The hard part of this equation is figuring out your priority as a State and as a district:  The State requires EVERY child be educated, and penalizes school districts if they fail to do so.  This is a different paradigm from "back in the day" when we went to school.  Then, schools offered education and children took advantage or didn't--it was up to them. Now, even if a child and his family don't care about education, the district's rating will hinge upon that child's performance on State tests.  So, it is in the district's best interests to make it easier for kids to get to the classroom.  But there is a cost for that.  School districts need to be given clear expectations from the State and right now they are getting a mixed message: "Educate everyone no matter their circumstances." "Here's money. Make it work." At some point, the quality of the product will reflect the investment made.  And costs are measured in more than dollars: As commenter "Ben" noted:


"For insight on the results of this pitiful investment in education, you can look to the State of Texas' Window on State Government:
•Texas is #49 in verbal SAT scores in the nation (493) and #46 in average math SAT scores (502).
•Texas is #36 in the nation in high school graduation rates (68%).
•As we ask colleges to do what we no longer pay for in high school, the cost is transfered to that system... From fiscal years 2002 to 2006, average tuition and fees at public universities increased 61.4%... and ... at community colleges increased 51.3%. ...But please, don't think these numbers are only Texas' problem, we have the second highest public school enrollment in the USA. This means we are undereducating over 4 million Americans. The consequence of this underinvestment is a significant contribution to the USA of underskilled, poorly educated Americans. This will have a negative impact on GDP and crime statistics in the coming decades."

Business owners and people without children in schools need to be aware of what is going on in the district.  The educational level of the entire population impacts quality of life and availability of qualified workers.  Texas will continue to grow because jobs are here and people with children are moving into the area because of the excellent schools.  Our economy is (relatively) strong.  But without a strong commitment to educate the population that arrives, what will our future look like?

Voter Registration; Candidates' Forums

Katy ISD is at a crossroads.  It is absolutely critical that all stakeholders take the time to educate themselves about the issues and candidates, and then VOTE.

• Register!  Deadline is TODAY April 12.  Harris County/ Fort Bend County/ Waller County 
• Forums:
• April 17, 6:30 p.m., Merrell Center: Hosted by Rotary Club of Katy
• April 24, 7:00 p.m., Morton Ranch High School: Hosted by Katy Parents of Gifted and Talented
• Katy Area Republicans also usually host a forum, and when I find out more about that, I'll update here.

Early voting starts April 30.  Dates, locations, times can be found here.

Katy Students Win State; Head For National Competition!

My “guest columnist” here is John Eberlan.  His enthusiasm toward this group of students is infectious!  Anyone who has had a delicious lunch at the Old Town Bistro knows how talented these kids are and how terrific this program is. 

In case not everyone has seen this story...  http://katyisd.org/communications/News/113-12.aspx

This is a fantastic group of kids that was rockin' last month in Austin.  This is only their third year in the competition and they won first place in Texas, so are going to nationals!  

When I read this story my mind wandered back to the laborious process of getting funds together for an out-of-state trip for the Band; lots of fund raising, lots of partial payments and nearly a year to prepare.  This group had a little over a month to prepare for this trip and I thought we could do something to help.  I spoke to Patty Kenjura (the teacher in charge of Culinary Arts) this morning.  She told me of the many logistical items she has to plan for before the trip; shipping their equipment, 7 more practice sessions, printing T-shirts for the team, etc.  With the timing being less than a month, with Easter on one weekend and another competition taking another weekend, they have no public events we can attend to show our support.

They are looking to raise $3000 that would pay for things like shipping their equipment to Baltimore, purchasing the food in Baltimore that will be part of the competition, purchasing the food that will be consumed in the practice sessions before they leave, and many more things.  

If you want to donate you can send them a check, made out to Katy ISD Culinary Arts.  Send to:

MCTC Culinary Arts

1734 Katyland Dr.

Katy, TX 77493

Attention: Patty Kenjurahttp://katyisd.org/communications/News/113-12.aspx