Katy ISD Announces New Principals for Bear Creek, Shafer Elementary

KATY MAGAZINE NEWS

MAY 27, 2020

By Jennifer Miko

As the 2019-20 school year ends, plans have already been announced for personnel changes for the upcoming school year. At last night’s Katy ISD Board of Trustees meeting, two new elementary principals were appointed. Stephanie McElroy will be the new principal at Bear Creek Elementary and Shannon Smith will be the new principal at Shafer Elementary.

New Katy ISD principals: Stephanie McElroy and Shannon Smith.

In the upcoming weeks, Shannon Smith and Stephanie McElroy will take on their new positions as elementary principals in Katy ISD. Each has an extensive career in education from the classroom to administration, from several school districts in the state.

New Bear Creek Elementary Principal

Stephanie McElroy received her bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and her master’s degree from University of Houston in Clear Lake. She joined Katy ISD in 1998 as a fifth-grade teacher where she taught Reading. In 2006, McElroy became a high school assistant principal at Selman Intermediate School in Sealy ISD. Shortly afterwards, she became the principal at that same school.

From 2009-2015, McElroy was the Associate Principal of Curriculum and Development at Sartartia Middle School in Fort Bend ISD. She then became the principal at Navarro Middle School in the Lamar Consolidated School District.

New Principal for Shafer Elementary

Shannon Smith received her bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University and her master’s Degree from Texas A&M Commerce. In 2005, she began her teaching career at Berry Middle School in Mesquite, TX. In 2009, she became the Testing Coordinator at the same campus. The following year, Smith was named the Assistant Principal at Sherman High School in Sherman, TX. In 2012, she returned to the classroom when she relocated to the Cypress Fairbanks ISD.

In 2015, Smith joined Katy ISD to take on the role of Assistant Principal at Exley Elementary. Three years later, Smith joined the Taylor Mustangs as their assistant principal.