At Monday's Katy ISD board work study meeting, the proposed names for elementary schools #47 and #48, as recommended by two separate naming advisory committees, were presented for trustees' consideration.
· Elementary #47 was recommended to be named after long-serving educators Alfred and Ann Boudny. Alfred (Al) and Ann Boudny always aspired to teach, both starting their careers at Eagle Lake Middle School in the 1970s. He later joined Katy ISD at West Memorial Elementary. In 1981, he opened Nottingham Country Elementary with Richard Bruce as the fifth grade team lead, and in 1982, he and Ann helped open Memorial Parkway Junior High. In 1991, he helped open McDonald Junior High, where he was social studies department chair for 15 years and was named Teacher of the Year in 2000. Al Boudny retired with 39 years of teaching, 34 of them in Katy ISD. In retirement, he tutors at Katy Elementary, serves as a KEYS mentor, and volunteers at several schools, including McRoberts, Memorial Parkway, and Tom Wilson elementary schools. In 1982, Ann Boudny joined Katy ISD with the opening of Memorial Parkway Junior High, where she served as department chair for 30 years, retiring in 2015 after 33 at the school. Al and Ann Boudny are active members of the Katy Area Retired Educators (KARE) organization.
· Elementary #48 was recommended to be named after retired educators James and Mitzi Cross. James and Mitzi Cross both have extensive careers in education, contributing to their communities and inspiring future generations of students and educators. James began his teaching career in Levelland, Texas, where he taught English and U.S. History while also serving as assistant varsity, and then varsity tennis coach, at Levelland Junior High until 1998. James Cross moved to Katy ISD’s Beck Junior High in 2002, where he served as assistant principal, and later as principal until 2009. His leadership journey culminated in his role as principal of Cinco Ranch High School in Katy ISD, where he served until 2022. Mitzi Cross also had a long and fulfilling career in education. Her career began as a 7th grade English Language Arts teacher at Brownfield ISD from 1983 to 1986. She then taught fifth grade social studies and ELA at Roosevelt ISD before moving to Levelland ISD, where she taught fifth grade ELA. Mitzi Cross then shifted to the role of librarian in Levelland before becoming a fifth grade ELA teacher at Alexander Elementary in Katy ISD in 2002. She later served as the librarian at Diane Winborn Elementary and Michael Griffin Elementary in the district. Mitzi Cross retired after a 40-year career in education, having made a lasting impact on countless students.
Elementary #47 is located at 7402 Katy Hockley Cut Off Road, in the Elyson area, and Elementary #48 is located at 900 Sunterra Shores, in the Sunterra development. Both schools are located in the district’s northwest quadrant and will open in fall 2025.
Community members are invited to share their input for each recommendation at upcoming Public Forums to be held Wednesday, December 4 at the Katy ISD Education Support Complex at 6301 S. Stadium Lane, Katy. The forum for #47 will begin at 5 p.m., and the forum for #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. Trustees will review the recommendation and all input before
taking action at a future meeting. More information about the recommended names can be found at katyisd.org/Page/7715.
In other action, the board:
· Heard discussion for addition of ten proposed new course additions to KISD curriculum, which included CTE courses, fine arts courses, dual credit Texas Government and other specialized courses.
· Discussed and considered approval of a contract to build out the Merchants Way building at 21700 Merchants Way, Katy. The building will serve approximately 165 special education students from age 18 to 21 in a life skills program at one centralized and upgraded location rather than at individual campuses. Centralizing the program will provide economies of scale for the district, said Assistant Superintendent for Special Education Gwen Coffey, such as maximizing the time of the special education staff which is in critical shortage across the country, assisting in retention of special education teachers and saving on transportation costs. The $10.9 million project was originally authorized in the 2023 bond as approximately a $5.2 million project, said board president Victor Perez, but initial bids came in over the original estimate. The project was then rebid. The project overage could be funded through $16 million in savings realized on construction of the district’s two new schools or through interest earnings that go in the capital projects fund, CFO Chris Smith said. The Merchants way project will be voted on in the December 9 meeting.
Future meetings of the board will be:
· Regular board meeting on December 9
· Work study meeting on January 13
· Regular board meeting on January 21
