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Parents press Katy ISD board on lunches, safety and employee benefits during open forum
Summary
During public comment on Jan. 20, parents and staff raised complaints about school lunches, student safety communication, teachers’ health‑insurance costs and paraprofessional pay; speakers asked the board for investigations, agenda items and budget advocacy.
At the Katy ISD Board of Trustees meeting on Jan. 20, multiple community members used the public‑comment period to press the board on nutrition standards, campus safety communications and employee compensation.
Lindsey Yang, a parent, told trustees that recently released USDA guidance urges prioritizing proteins and vegetables and cautions against ultra‑processed foods; she said Katy ISD menus at her children’s schools featured pizza, mac and cheese, nachos and processed snacks and urged the board to put nutrition on the February agenda. "Parents deserve to know when Katy ISD school lunches will be required to include both protein and vegetables," Yang said.
Brandy Aguilar described two physical assaults on her child at Hutsell Elementary that she said occurred since December. Aguilar said she was not notified promptly and that a stay‑away agreement was not communicated to staff, leaving protections unimplemented; she requested board oversight and an investigation into campus‑level communication and administrative accountability.
Several speakers raised employee compensation and benefits concerns. Kimberly Musial, assistant orchestra director at Mayde Creek High School, said she has incurred more than $4,150 in out‑of‑pocket medical costs and described prescription and deductible problems that have forced staff to delay care. Jennifer Jesse, representing the Coalition for a Livable Wage for Katy ISD Paraprofessionals, and Jermaine Paris urged the board to advocate for higher pay and retention strategies for paraprofessionals who support special‑education students.
Tanner Ursell said he supports the calendars the board will vote on and noted he had pursued internal channels before addressing the board. David Green, the single agenda‑item speaker for calendars, told trustees he urged passage of both presented calendars.
Board members did not take immediate policy action during open forum on the topics raised; trustees later approved instructional calendar items in the business portion of the meeting and asked staff to follow up on several board information requests. Several speakers asked explicitly for the board to place items on future agendas (nutrition and administrative communication), and the board recorded requests for follow‑up information.
Sources: testimony by Lindsey Yang, Brandy Aguilar, Kimberly Musial, Jennifer Jesse, Jermaine Paris, Tanner Ursell and David Green during the Jan. 20, 2026 Katy ISD board meeting.
