However, these meetings have since been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to an emailed statement from Maria DiPetta, KISD’s media relations and multimedia manager.
No plans have been made to reschedule the meetings or hold them virtually, per the statement. Without these meetings, the bond program cannot move forward.
“Before this unprecedented time, Katy ISD had only just formed a Community Bond Advisory Committee,” the emailed statement reads. “Due to COVID-19, we had to cancel the CBAC meetings. Therefore, the Bond cannot move forward with the recommendation of the committee. We have not rescheduled these meetings or decided to hold them virtually at this time.”
The KISD board of trustees approved the formation of the committee and its charter in January.
The district first announced it might propose a bond referendum in October to accommodate the growth of students.
At the beginning of the 2019-20 school year, KISD had 81,718 students. Enrollment has since grown to 84,221, according to the KISD public dashboard as of April 28. A December demographic update projected enrollment could grow to between 101,428 and 108,235 by 2029.
The approximately 150-member community bond advisory committee had planned to meet up to 13 times between April and August to determine whether the district should call for a bond referendum and, if so, which projects should be included. More than 400 people applied to be a part of the committee.
Heath Rushing, the senior vice president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Katy and Memorial Hermann Cypress, was selected in February to lead the committee. In a March interview, Rushing said he planned to use data and community input to determine KISD’s existing and future needs for building and renovating campuses and facilities.
“I think there should be relevant data and facts that point to the need that the district believes it has,” he said. “That would be my approach.”
