End of Year Message from Katy ISD School Board 2017/18 President Ashley Vann

KATY MAGAZINE NEWS

May 22, 2018

From the desk of Ashley Vann, 2017-18 Board President:

As this school year comes to a close, I would just like to say that it has been my distinct honor to serve as the President of your Katy ISD Board of Trustees. This has not been a role that I ever took for granted or lightly. Thank you to all of you who have supported not only me, but the entire Katy ISD Board of Trustees during what has been a very unique school year.

As this school year comes to a close, I would just like to say that it has been my distinct honor to serve as the President of your Katy ISD Board of Trustees. This has not been a role that I ever took for granted or lightly. Thank you to all of you who have supported not only me, but the entire Katy ISD Board of Trustees during what has been a very unique school year.

The 2017-18 school year started off in grand fashion with fabulous convocations and the dedication of the Mike Johnston Field at Legacy Stadium. Then the unimaginable happened when tropical storm Harvey hit our community and well, it hit us hard. The rains and the floods came and they brought devastation and heartbreak. However, the true heart and spirit of the Katy community throughout the storm and the aftermath was never brighter or stronger. This community truly showed how much we care about each other, and the lengths we would all go to protect and defend our own. Plus, seeing three of our schools become shelters and having more volunteers and donations than we could ever imagine was simply remarkable. I have never been prouder to call Katy HOME than I was during that time.

After Harvey, we rallied as a community and got back to life in our “new normal,” even with thousands of our students and staff displaced and rebuilding. “Creech University” opened on the former University of Houston campus and although it’s been an adjustment, the outpouring of support not only from this community, but from across the country and around the world for Creech has been nothing short of amazing. Then in November, we successfully passed a $609MM bond referendum that will build the future of the District with six new schools, and will also solidify our legacy with comprehensive renovations on 61 of our 65 existing campuses.

Then finally in February 2018, the Katy ISD Board of Trustees was able to return to our board room at the Educational Support Complex after it, along with the Leonard Merrell Center, was flooded and rebuilt post-Harvey. We will always be grateful for the hospitality that the Miller Career & Technology Center showed the Board in hosting our meetings for the five months we were displaced. However, our return to the ESC board room was nothing short of a breath of fresh air as we returned “Home.” Early 2018, we held dedications for our three newest campuses, Paetow High School, Stockdick Junior High and Bryant Elementary, as well as for our three transportation centers. Plus, groundbreakings were held for many new facilities that will serve our community. Then in the spring, another storm hit. A storm that no one could predict or estimate.

When social media directs the narrative of the District and takes focus away from what the Board and Superintendent are charged to do, we all need to really pause and regroup. We need to focus on the truth and the good, recognize the damage this second storm has done and unite again just like we did during Harvey. We, the Katy ISD Board of Trustees, have one job and that is to do what is best for the students and staff of the District, first and foremost. Please stand with us for this District, and help us be successful for this District. We are and always will be Katy Strong.

Our two newest board members, Susan Gesoff and Dawn Champagne are being warmly welcomed by the Board and our administration, and I hope you will all gladly receive them too! Both new board members are certainly ready to work hard for Katy ISD and our 77,900+ students.

Again, it has been a true gift in my life’s journey to have served in this leadership role and I thank all of those who have been so supportive of me and encouraged and guided me along the way. It is my hope and my wish that you will equally support, guide and encourage Courtney Doyle as she steps into service as the 2018-19 President of the Katy ISD Board of Trustees. She is going to do a fabulous job!

Have a fun and safe summer and see you all August 15th for the first day of school!

Sincerely,

Ashley D. Vann

2017-18 President Katy ISD Board of Trustees

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