Proposed boundary changes for Katy ISD students

KATY, Texas – The Katy Independent School District Board of Education decided Monday night to temporarily table any action on controversial school re-zoning changes.

The proposed new attendance boundaries could force some students to attend new schools in the 2017-2018 school year.

The six schools affected include Wolman Elementary School, Katy Elementary School, Katy Junior High School, McDonald Junior High, Katy High School and Morton Ranch High School.

A meeting at which parents can voice their concerns is set to start at the Katy ISD administration building at 6:30 p.m.

Students who are affected by the new boundaries would attend one of three brand-new schools: Bryant Elementary, Stockdick Junior High or Paetow High School.

“They'll still have the same resources,” Maria DiPetta, a district spokesperson, said. “They're going to have the same state-of-the-art building and they'll have the highest quality of teachers.”

Whether or not a student switches schools will depend on where the student lives and how that location relates to the district’s new attendance boundaries. 

The only students who might not be affected are high school students, who can apply to finish out their high school education at their original school.

“There might be a junior who is about to graduate and we wouldn’t move him or her from that school,” DiPetta said.

When Don Albright and his family moved to Katy, they specifically chose a home that would ensure their daughter, who is now in sixth grade, would attend Katy High School. “I graduated from Katy so that is where I want her to go,” Albright said.

Fortunately, based on the current boundary proposals, it looks as if his daughter will remain at Katy Junior High, but many of her friends will have to move to Stockdick Junior High School. “She’s pretty upset because a lot of her friends aren't going to be going to school with her anymore,” Albright said.

As the population continues to grow, some parents wonder whether or not the district will start creating new attendance boundaries every few years. DiPetta said the district tries to spread the changes out by quadrants, so families aren’t having to switch schools all the time. For example, the new boundaries currently in discussion are in the Northwest quadrant of Katy. 

The district will pick up the issue when it meets in January.