KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Katy school board members plan to review the district's school naming process at their work-study meeting Monday night, following December discussions where trustees raised concerns about rushed decisions, limited public information and minimal parental input.
Committee Members Express Concerns About Time Constraints
Trustees Morgan Calhoun and Mary Ellen Cuzela, who served on naming committees last year, criticized the rushed decision-making process. They said committee members had only about two hours to review multiple detailed nomination packets before making recommendations, shortchanging both nominators and the committee's deliberative process.
"These nomination packets can be anywhere from 20 to 30 pages long per nominee, and you're given two hours to decipher through 10 to 15 names," Calhoun said during the Dec. 9 school board meeting. She had just completed her service on the Elementary School 47 naming committee, something she'd not previously done and was concerned by what she experienced.
She said it's also difficult for parents who are on the naming committee to absorb the material and make a quick decision.
"How are we supposed to expect community members to come in the cold and read through mountains of paperwork without having an idea of who they're voting for."
Limited Parent Participation Raises Additional Concerns
Cuzela said her experience on the Elementary School 48 naming committee left her feeling that the process needed more parental involvement.
"We only had two parents involved in our first meeting," Cuzela said. "So that was only a committee of two board members, two parents and the principal," Cuzela said at the Dec. 9 board meeting.
Trustee Rebecca Fox said she could support expanding the committee's size but stressed the difficulty of improving parental involvement.
"The difficulty is that when you involve brand new parents moving to a brand new area for a brand new school, it's hard to know who's involved and who will show up," she said.
Political Implications Surface After Recent Naming Decision
It is unknown if the review Monday will address how to prevent the school naming process from being used for political gain. Covering Katy News is the only media outlet to question potential conflicts due to an unprecedented situation at Katy ISD: former Cinco Ranch principal James Cross launched a school board campaign shortly after trustees voted to name a new elementary school after him and his wife, Mitzi.
Cross, who hadn't disclosed his political plans during the naming process, filed to challenge board president Victor Perez. Then, his supporters quickly began using Perez's vote to approve the naming committee's recommendation for political purposes, suggesting it represents an endorsement of Cross.
The board has not indicated whether Monday's review will address how to prevent the naming policy from being used for political advantage that exposes a loophole in CW Local, the school district's naming policy.
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A post by an opponent of Victor Perez using the naming issue for political advantage.
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A post by activistand children's book author Chancie Brooke Davis which began circulation three days after James Cross filed to run against Victor Perez. Davis. She has also advocated for vaccinations and masking in all schools.
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A facebook post that was visable for 50 days but removed when Covering Katy began asking questions about it.
The board has not indicated whether Monday's review will address how to prevent the naming policy from being used for political advantage that exposes a loophole in CW Local, the school district's naming policy.
District Publicity Could Benefit Candidate's Campaign
Beyond the concerns raised at the December 9 meeting, Cross's candidacy presents another issue that only Covering Katy News has publicly addressed: the potential benefit of taxpayer-funded publicity that could help his campaign.
Katy ISD routinely promotes new school construction through press releases, social media and other communications — coverage that would provide campaign visibility for Cross as the school bearing his name is under construction.
Push for Greater Transparency
Calhoun also suggested allowing the public to see all nomination packets would increase public interest and allow a more transparent process.
"We do not want to imply that this is an inside job picking these names," Cuzela said. "We want to do due diligence, respect the process, respect all the applicants. And we can do that in a better way."