HCC gets Katy moms’ take on education
School officials and politicians are normally at the helm of discussions on the state of education, but Houston Community College is providing an opportunity for Katy moms to chime in. In an informal and filmed discussion, HCC gathered Katy mom bloggers and social media influencers to discuss their concerns and possible solutions to pressing issues in areas of education such as standardized testing and college affordability. The college gave the women a platform to voice their opinions and will dedicate an entire week allowing the community to chime in.
Their discussion will be aired on the college’s social media channels from May 4 until Mother’s Day, May 10. The social media community at-large will also be able to interact with this discussion by adding their thoughts to the HCC posts or using the hashtag #KatyMomsChat.
“Engaging with our communities is important,” said Dr. Zachary Hodges, HCC Northwest president. “In education, we need more external voices to contribute to the internal work in our classrooms. So, we’re hoping that the #Katymomschat project will give us new ideas to enhance the learning environment for our students. Katy has a rich learning environment and continues to be a great partner in our education efforts.”
Since 1979, HCC has provided education and opportunity to Katy residents. Almost 4,000 Katy Independent School District students attend HCC. A booming dual credit program in Katy ISD enables students to earn college credit while still in high school at a discounted tuition rate. As with all communities that the college serves, HCC has a strong connection to Katy and is active in groups such as the Katy Chamber of Commerce, Katy ARTreach, Katy Visual & Performing Arts Center, Katy ISD and the Katy Economic Development Council.
“Education is a very important topic that gets me excited,” said Rebecca Fox, Katy ISD board member. “Parents have a lot of opinions on what kind of education their child is getting and to be able to discuss those topics with other passionate moms is incredible. Houston Community College is an important piece in figuring out that puzzle and has been instrumental in giving families options.”
Katy is representative of the skyrocketing growth that continues across the Houston-area. Katy ISD is the second fastest growing district in the state and is adding nearly 3,000 new students each year. Over 70,000 students are currently enrolled in Katy ISD and that number is expected to soar to nearly 95,000 by 2023. The school district is nearly three times the size of Washington, D.C. and experiencing a population boom as more people move in. New housing construction reflects that trend as the number of students added to the district because of subdivisions being actively built has grown by 81 percent since 2013.
Courtesy of: HCC and Katy Moms Chat, you can visit their website: hccs.edu/katymomschat
