Katy ISD board approves personnel and budget items, narrowly backs Opportunity Awareness Center design

At its Feb. 23 regular meeting, the Katy ISD Board of Trustees voted on multiple agenda items, approving personnel contracts, budget amendments and several policy and facilities motions.

Personnel and budget votes: The board approved administrative, probationary and term contracts for recommended employees (item 6.1) by unanimous vote (7–0). Trustees later approved the February 2026 budget amendments as presented (motion passed 7–0).

Consent agenda: Trustees approved the consent agenda for items 8.1–8.18 with two items removed for separate consideration (8.7 and 8.8); the consent motion passed 7–0.

Opportunity Awareness Center (OAC) design (item 8.8): After extended public comment and trustee debate about student safety, staffing models, facility utilization and a roughly $17 million projected shortfall in general funds, the board voted 4–3 to approve the proposed OAC design and a plan that includes a new building of about 14,000 square feet. Supporters said the model will improve long‑term efficiency and program quality; opponents asked whether existing district space (including two empty floors in a recently purchased Merchant's Way building) had been fully considered and pressed for more teacher/staff stakeholder input prior to committing capital funds.

Other agenda votes: The board voted 7–0 to disapprove a resolution authorizing acquisition of land and improvements for the Waller County Appraisal District (item 9.1). On library materials, the board retained Cat Kid Comic Club (motion passed 7–0) and voted 4–3 to relocate Fake News Phenomenon to junior high and high school collections after debate about balance and age‑appropriateness.

Closed session and grievance: Following a closed session covering legal and personnel matters, the board voted in open session to take no action on a Level 3 F & G grievance but instructed administration to review the Level 2 response in light of a recent court ruling (motion passed 7–0).

The OAC vote was the closest, prompting trustees to request further cost comparisons for using existing district space versus building new facilities and to seek more teacher/staff input on the program model before construction and implementation proceed further.