Superintendent, Katy ISD

Born and raised on a farm outside Nacogdoches, Alton L. Frailey learned the value of hard work and the importance of a good education.

Serving as superintendent for the Katy ISD since 2007, Frailey is responsible for the daily operations of the district's campuses, students, employees and overall district success. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and a master's in educational administration, both from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Frailey started his career in 1983 as a teacher in Goose Creek ISD, where he eventually became an assistant principal. He then served a number of roles with increasing responsibility in Spring Branch ISD, including, assistant superintendent in 2002, area superintendent from 1999-2002 and executive director of governmental operations from 1997-1999.

From 2002 to 2005, Frailey served as superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools in Ohio. From there he became superintendent of DeSoto ISD, a suburban district in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, from 2005-2007.

Since Frailey joined the district, Katy ISD has grown from a TEA Academically Acceptable district in 2006-2007 to reaching Recognized status the next year, and maintaining it thereafter. During that time, the district added seven new schools and nearly 10,000 students.

In 2010, Frailey led the district in a successful bond referendum that is adding five new campuses to rapidly growing areas in the district, including a seventh high school due to open next year. Additionally, Frailey has implemented a number of programs to better connect the district to students, staff and the community.

What challenges and opportunities need to be addressed before High School No. 7 opens? How are they being handled by your office?

The biggest challenge right now is hiring the principal. I'm in the process of reviewing applications for that. That is the most important job I hire for. There are many others that I hire for, but this is critical having the best person to lead the campus. Once that's established I can almost get out of the way.

We will have a principal identified within the next month or two, and they'll come onboard in January or February and they'll begin meeting with their staff and all of the things it takes to open up a new building.

What are the most pressing issues for the district right now?

Always managing the growth and maintaining delivery on the high expectations our community has for us. They have high expectations for us. Keeping each student feeling they're more than just a number. Having each student really feel connected and important to the school district. Having more and more of the community really see this as their school district. It's getting folks to realize we're not some distant entity like they read about in the news or hear about from other places that have some challenges. We have our share of challenges, but not like I've experienced in other places.

How can you as Superintendent help prepare students for college and careers after high school?

[We have] got to maintain quality staff. We have a tremendously talented team of teachers in the school district. We have to continue to talk with our business partners. We have to stay abreast of the research and current trends. We have to know how to prepare our students, one to go to work immediately if that's what they so desire, but also help them have the capacity to retool should the career they begin in go away and they have to try something else. So we have to educate them to know certain things and to know how to learn.

Another thing is higher ed. I think that partnerships with higher ed—we're part of a couple collaboratives, pre-k/16 initiatives—a higher ed task force that's Katy specific, and then a pre-k/16 initiative that's more regionally involved. And just to make certain we are staying abreast of not only current trends in terms of the way things currently are, but also to anticipate what's around the corner and to have our students well prepared to handle the here and now and what's ahead of them.

What is your assessment of the effectiveness of the STAAR test? Is it a good measure of student performance?

It offers a snapshot and it offers a partial picture. I'm not a person who's opposed to accountability. I think accountability in Texas has helped a lot of students get a better education. I think it has helped us focus a lot more as well. That's also a challenge because it causes us to focus too much on just that one test itself. But it is a measure, and I think it is part of the process and it may be taking up too much of the space in terms of educating children. I do appreciate the state raising the bar in terms of the complexity of the questions and the amount of thought that goes into it. That's important. It is more rigorous than TAKS without a doubt. It's not enough just to say how rigorous it is, it's how relevant is it and that becomes the question—how relevant is it?