Katy ISD board tables revisions to school-naming policy after intense public comment

Katy ISD Board President Perez on Feb. 24 moved to table proposed revisions to Board Policy CW Local, the district rule that governs how schools are named, after an extended public comment period and trustee discussion; the motion passed 7-0.

The proposed changes to the naming policy would, according to board materials and discussion at the meeting, focus on process improvements: notifying applicants when their materials are received and whether they remain under consideration; delivering application materials to naming-committee members at least seven days before committee meetings; and setting committee composition and quorum rules. Trustees and staff emphasized the board would not apply any revision retroactively to previously named facilities.

Community members who spoke during the public-comment period told the board the revisions felt targeted and rushed. Yaro Sledge, who said he nominated the Cross family for a recent namesake honor, told trustees, “I dedicated significant time and effort to this recommendation. I followed the established rules and well organized process and the Cross family was selected.” Several speakers argued that a recent draft of the revision — which at one point included a waiting period tied to retirement and language about candidate status — had been timed to affect a school board election.

“ It is difficult to see the need for such extreme changes such as five years to wait after retirement,” said Theresa McMeans, who identified herself as a member of a namesake family. Other speakers described the honor of being a namesake and asked the board to preserve the existing process or to take more time to solicit namesakes’ input. Speaker Chancey Davis, a Katy ISD parent and former teacher, said the five-year ban “is being framed as fairness, but in reality it’s about limiting competition,” a point echoed by multiple speakers who called for the board to delay action until more engagement could occur.

Board members and staff described the specific procedural changes in the posted draft. Among the items trustees discussed were: removing any fixed waiting period for retired employees (the board reported removing a previously proposed five-year retirement requirement in a revision posted the prior Friday); adding a notification step so applicants know whether their materials will be considered; and establishing a naming-committee quorum of at least six members, of which four would be parents from the new school’s attendance zone. The board also retained language clarifying the policy’s effective date would be the approval date and that changes would not be retroactive.

President Perez, urging more input from namesakes, said the board had already revised the draft based on feedback and that additional changes might be necessary. “Given some of the feedback we’ve just recently gotten from namesakes that we value so much … the best thing to do is for us to table it until an indefinite date and receive more feedback,” he said before making the motion to table. Trustee Rebecca Fox seconded the motion. After further discussion about committee composition, notice and timing, the board voted 7-0 to table the policy.

No final policy change was adopted at the meeting. Trustees said they expect further review, additional input from namesakes and the community, and possible revisions before any future vote. Several speakers asked the board to delay final action until after the May election cycle; some trustees said they would not set a firm calendar date for return but noted any trustee can place the item on a future agenda.