Katy ISD trustees vote to call back 214 of previously 267 teacher positions

Posted: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 10:43 am
By The Rancher Staff

Katy Independent School District board of trustees voted 6-0 at July 25 board meeting toto add back to the 2011-12 budget 214 out of 267 teaching positions that were reduced as part of the campus staffing plan in April.

In addition, some of the items that were proposed to be cut, but will be added back to the budget include the elimination of transportation not reimbursed by the state; the increase in ticket prices for athletic events by $1; and the reduction of elementary principals and their secretaries to 11-month contracts. Also, in previous action, the board approved adding back a second assistant band director at each of the high schools.

This move comes with the conclusion of the 82nd Legislature’s Special Session and the confirmation that the state will reduce Katy ISD’s funding $27 million for 2011-12. Now that the district knows how much revenue it will receive from the state, it can begin finalizing the budget for the 2011-12 school year, which must be approved by the Board prior to the start of the fiscal year on Sept. 1.

“As we saw our budget picture improve from what all indicators were pointing to in the spring, our first step was to look at our campus staffing to see how we could bring back as many teachers as possible,” said Alton Frailey, Katy ISD superintendent. “We knew it would be a considerable challenge to navigate through the restraints created by a significant reduction of state financial support and continue to provide the same high quality learning experiences for our students our community has come to expect.”