KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — The Katy ISD board of trustees has approved the design for a new $10 million building to house its disciplinary alternative education program.
The board voted 4-3, with three members casting dissenting votes over concerns about the smaller facility and a plan that could allow some students to complete coursework at home online instead of reporting to the discipline school. Board members Morgan Calhoun, Mary Ellen Cuzela and Amy Thieme voted against the measure.
Behind the move
A key driver behind the project is the district’s desire to expand the Miller Career and Technology Center, which is located across the street from the current OAC building. By moving the discipline program to a new facility, the district would free up the current OAC space for Miller’s expansion.
A much smaller building
The new Opportunity Awareness Center, or OAC, will be built along Katy Fort Bend Road near Rhodes Stadium. The pre-engineered metal building will be just under 20,000 square feet — less than half the size of the program’s current space. The number of secondary seats would drop from 345 to 180, though Principal Janelle Coleman said the center typically stays under 190 students total in its current format.
The OAC is the district’s disciplinary alternative education program, serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade who have violated the Texas Education Code or the student code of conduct.
Serving time from home?
Trustee Mary Ellen Cuzela pushed back on a proposal to allow some students to complete part of their coursework virtually from home, saying she worried students could take advantage of virtual options intended to show leniency for less serious offenses, leading to a rise in infractions due to a perceived lack of severity in punishment…