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Trustees debate new Opportunity Awareness Center plan as staff raise concerns over size and virtual options
Summary
Katy ISD trustees spent extended discussion on a proposed 20,000 sq ft Opportunity Awareness Center, with administrators defending a smaller, flexible design while trustees and OAC staff pressed for clarity on staffing, supervision and how virtual instruction or partial‑day options would work for students in mandatory placements.
Katy ISD’s plan to replace its Opportunity Awareness Center (OAC) sparked lengthy discussion on Feb. 16 as board members, OAC staff and architects debated design, program model and staffing.
Facilities Director Lisa Casman and architect Brad Ewing presented a design-development package for a roughly 20,000‑square‑foot facility organized into separated elementary and secondary wings, with controlled entries, flexible multiuse classrooms and construction planned as a pre‑engineered metal building. OAC Principal Janelle Coleman said the goal is to provide age‑appropriate learning, strong supervision sightlines and spaces for reintegration to home campuses.
Several trustees expressed concern that the new building is much smaller than the current facility and asked how the district will serve students who require higher supervision or special‑education support. Trustee questions focused on: whether students in discipline alternative programs (DAP/DAP placements) would be expected to do part of their placement virtually or at home, how many supervised seats the new OAC would hold (administration estimated about 180 secondary plus limited elementary capacity), and how staff levels would be affected by the smaller footprint.
Dr. Grigorski and OAC leaders said the district has been piloting elements of a model that retains students’ home‑campus teachers when feasible (dual enrollment via Canvas/Chromebooks), offers virtual options for certain students with parental agreement, and will use the existing OAC building as a transition space while the new facility is constructed. The administration also said capital‑project savings and bond interest proceeds are available to fund the estimated $10M all‑in cost.
Trustees asked for more concrete staffing plans and a soft‑launch or pilot period where the new operating model could be tested in existing facilities before committing to final construction. Supporters on the board highlighted how freeing up the current OAC site could expand Miller Career Center capacity and cited previous district successes with reimagined programs (Raines Academy, Merchant’s Way).
Next steps: administrators said they will meet with OAC staff and principals this week, provide trustees a draft implementation plan ahead of the Feb. 23 regular meeting, and propose final construction approvals after further review.
