The overview
Elementary No. 47 is recommended to be named after Alfred and Ann Boudny, who were long-serving educators at KISD, while Elementary No. 48 is recommended to be named after James and Mitzi Cross, who are both retired educators at KISD, according to a Nov. 18 news release from the district.
Elementary No. 47 will be located at 7402 Katy Hockley Cut Off Road, in the Elyson area, and Elementary No. 48 will be located at 900 Sunterra Shores, in the Sunterra development, the news release reads.
Both schools are located in the district’s northwest area and will open in fall 2025, according to the news release.
The names were recommended by two separate naming advisory committees, according to district documents.
Neither name is official and remains up to the board’s discretion at a future meeting.
How we got here
According to district documents, the process to recommend names for the new elementary schools had the following timeline:
- Sept. 23: board of trustees approve for the superintendent to form two committees to name both new elementary schools
- Sept. 24-Oct. 24: advertisements on district website and social media pages go out to ask for name recommendations
- Nov. 13 and 14: both committees meet in person and chose a name
While the decision has not been made by the board, board members said they were content with the names that have been selected by the committees.
“I’ve known the Boudny’s for quite a while. ... I know that they are very, very involved with volunteering, and they also are just so concerned about children and children’s well-being,” board trustee Dawn Champagne said at the meeting. “It’s a great family, and it was a great decision, and I couldn’t be more happy with you all and the future children at that school.”
“I think [the Boudny’s are] a great family to represent our district and that we do want to have high expectations for our students, so thank you for your commitment to that,” board trustee Amy Theme said.
“Congratulations to the Crosses,” board trustee Rebecca Fox said. “You are beloved in Katy ISD. Seventy years of combined education. Education is your life, and the difference you’ve made for students and for families is well-known and so appreciated.”
What’s next
Community members are invited to share their input for each recommendation at upcoming public forums Dec. 4 at the Katy ISD Education Support Complex at 6301 S. Stadium Lane, Katy, the news release reads.
The forum for Elementary No. 47 will begin at 5 p.m., and the forum for Elementary No. 48 will begin at 6 p.m. Following the forums, each Naming Advisory Committee will review the community feedback to further inform the recommendation as needed, according to the news release.
The board may choose to take action on the name for both elementary schools at the board meeting Dec. 9, according to district documents.
