After enduring a controversial rezoning process last year, Katy ISD trustees appear poised to adopt a new procedure proposed by Superintendent Alton Frailey that shifts the responsibility for rezoning away from a board-appointed committee to district staff.
During Monday night’s school board meeting, trustees voiced their support for Frailey’s plan, which calls for district staff analyzing data and making rezoning recommendations to the school board. Under the existing plan, a committee appointed by trustees makes recommendations for changes to attendance zones.
The district will need to again look at changing some attendance zones, particularly with the opening of a new elementary school near Seven Lakes High School. That school, currently called Elementary 32, is slated to open in August of 2009.
Trustee Robert Shaw said last year’s contentious rezoning process showed residents wanted to see a change.
“At the end of our last rezoning, I think we pretty much heard from the public that they were not happy with the process,” Shaw said.
Shaw said now was the time to “take a fresh look at it.”
Trustee Rebecca Fox agreed, stressing the change to district staff would not eliminate public input.
“We’re in no way excluding the community; we’re just including them in a new way,” Fox said.
Calling rezoning “an emotional process,” Frailey said his plan was intended to lessen discord that marked last year’s process.
“We’ll do what’s necessary to make this as painless as possible, but it won’t be pain-free,” Frailey cautioned.
Trustee Joe Adams said he wanted to avoid “pitting neighbor against neighbor.”
Frailey said lessening conflict was the intent of his plan, but stressed that “rezoning is not an exact science.”
Shaw also suggested trustees may want to consider whether available space in existing facilities is being fully utilized, even in areas that have been considered “fully stabilized” by the district.
“I’m not so sure rezoning is the issue as opposed to ‘back-filling,’ for the lack of a better term,” Shaw said.
No action was taken at Monday night’s meeting, but trustees expect to make a decision on the rezoning process in January.
