Katy ISD Moves Forward with a Virtual High School

KATY MAGAZINE NEWS

May 18, 2021

By Natalie Cook Clark

The Katy ISD Board of Trustees discussed and voted to move forward with the establishment of a tuition-free and full-time virtual high school for the District. They have framework from this year’s Katy Virtual Academy and the recent parent survey and are waiting for further guidance and funding from the state.

Photo credit: KISD

Board Voted Last Night to Move Forward with Virtual HS

The Katy ISD Board of Trustees voted at last night’s meeting to move forward in establishing a full-time virtual high school within Katy ISD. This tuition-free, stand-alone campus would be no different than any other Katy high school.

“We have an excellent framework for a Katy ISD Virtual High School that could effectively support the delivery of unparalleled learning experiences to those students and families who may be interested in that learning option, should the state provide the necessary funding,” says Dr. Ken Gregorski, Superintendent of Schools.

Criteria for the virtual high school and student eligibility includes:

The virtual campus would have its own Texas Education Agency (TEA) campus code
Students would be required to submit an online application during a designated window of time.
Students would need to meet the required criteria for acceptance into the virtual high school.
Enrollment in the virtual high school would be for one calendar school year. Students would be able to elect to withdraw and return to their home campus during the summer and before the start of a new school year.
Students would graduate from the Katy ISD virtual high school and would earn a GPA, class rank (top 10%) and quartile rank with their virtual school cohort.
Students attending the virtual high school would not be eligible to participate in their home campus UIL and/or extracurricular activities.

An Overwhelming Parent Response

More than 1,200 parents expressed an interest in their child(ren) attending a stand-alone virtual high school during the 2021-22 school year in their responses to the survey conducted last month.

Bond Projects Receive Green Light

Since the Bond 2021 propositions passed, the District is expected to move quickly to address the rapid growth to the Katy area and to best serve the students, faculty, and staff. The following projects received a unanimous vote of approval from Trustees.

Approval of the construction delivery methods and contractor selection criteria for capital construction projects associated with the $676 million bond authorization
Approval of a contract for the construction of Elementary #44
Approval to award a contract for design services for the construction of High School #10 and Junior High #18
Approval to award a contract for design services for the renovation and addition to Katy Elementary School
Approval to award a contract for design services for the renovation of Winborn Elementary School

The biggest of these projects to note are the three schools: high school 10, junior high 18, and elementary 44.

Board Ready for the Next School Year

The Katy ISD Board of Trustees is the governing body that oversees and shapes district policies. Individuals serving as a board member are not employees of Katy ISD, yet they dedicate countless hours to lead an A+ school district.

At last night’s meeting, Dawn Champagne and Rebecca Fox were sworn into office. It is also customary for the Board to elect officers ahead of the next school year: Greg Schulte, President, Lance Redmon, Vice President and Dawn Champagne will serve as secretary.

MORE KATY MAGAZINE