The Katy ISD Board of Trustees voted 7–0 on Aug. 25 to award a contract for design services for a new Opportunity Awareness Center facility while trustees and staff discussed a proposed model that would reduce current classroom space and incorporate hybrid or virtual alternatives for disciplinary alternative education programming.
Trustee discussion and public comments raised concerns that the proposed facility would provide 16 classrooms compared with a current count presented in testimony of as many as 37 instructional spaces. Trustees said some OAC staff felt they had not been included early enough in long-range planning and asked administration to improve communication.
District administrators framed the plan as a long-range reconfiguration prompted in part by the need to repurpose the current OAC site for expansion of a separate campus program and by recent state statutory changes that allow different DAEP (disciplinary alternative education program) delivery models. Administrators said the proposed design would not include a gym or a traditional library, but students would continue to have access to library resources and counseling supports through online and districtwide services.
The administration described potential efficiencies: combining smaller classes, using hybrid schedules, and providing virtual coursework where appropriate. Administrators said the redesign is intended to better differentiate between short-term, first-time nonviolent placements and students with persistent, higher-need disciplinary histories.
Several trustees asked for more outreach to OAC employees about possible position changes and transportation impacts. Administration said the project is at an early planning stage, that no layoffs are planned, and that staff who currently work at the OAC may be reassigned within the district as programming is redesigned. The board approved the design contract to proceed to schematic design, giving trustees an opportunity to review detailed plans before construction approval.