Many Spartans have or will notice that this year the hallways feel a little bit crowded and buses are a little bit too cramped, however; this is a common feeling at many schools across the district. This year, there are about 2,000 new students in the district ,which makes the estimated number of students enrolled at Katy ISD 95,000. This number is only set to increase 5% each year to 105,000 students in 2029.
Katy ISD is a destination district, meaning that people move from around the state, even the country in some cases, to take part in the state of the art education the district provides. Every year, about 2,000 students enroll with the purpose of having one of the best educational experiences in Texas.
With this drastic increase in student population, one question prevails: how will the district create a learning environment for these students, and have campus security, technology that is coherent with the influx of students? The answer is bonds.
Bonds are money that the school lends from investors in order to pay for things the district needs, without disrupting the normal day to day school operations. The Community Advisory Bond committee worked tirelessly throughout the 2022-23 school year and evaluated countless of district needs and proposals, and ended up proposing an estimate of 840. 6 Million dollars.
This money will fund district wide renovations in all areas from campus technology to stadium repairs, and bus shortages. If the bond is proposed, students are expected to see changes as early as August of 2024, with the construction of 4 new schools, renovations of 26 aging campuses, safety and security updates and an upgrade in campus technology. There is no doubt that the evidence of the money would be evident throughout the district, even on our home campus.
Seven Lakes will get an update in security fencing, an update to campus furniture and equipment and also a technology upgrade that will allow for a 1:1 student to chromebook ratio.
People can vote for this bond on November 7, 2023. There is a disclaimer, however, due to legislative obligations for all Texas school bonds, the ballot will state that this is a property tax increase, this information is not valid as it would be an increase to Katy ISD debt rather than a property tax increase. In fact, the portion of property tax that goes to school funding will decrease from 1.30 dollars in 2022-23 to 1.12 dollars in 2023-24.
People can register to vote from Tuesday, October 10. Early voting starts from Monday, October 23- Friday November 3.
For more information about voting, please go to: https://www.votetexas.gov/
For more information about the Bond proposal, go to: https://www.katyisd.org/BOND2023
