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.