Katy, TX News – Katy ISD to Survey Parents for Transportation Feedback, Options
Katy, TX News (January 7, 2015) – With ongoing community growth and development spurring a nearly 3,000-student annual increase in enrollment, Katy ISD’s student transportation system is facing mounting pressure. To address this growing problem, district leaders are searching for a more sustainable solution and need the community’s help to identify the best path forward.
Katy ISD is asking all parents and community members to take its transportation survey to provide the district feedback on current use and potential changes like new bus route modeling and modified school bell schedules. The survey will be available from Wednesday, January 7 to Wednesday, January 21.
“Our community and our families remain our greatest resource when it comes to issues that impact people’s daily lives,” Superintendent Alton Frailey said. “It’s important that we understand their experiences and preferences, so we can build a sustainable transportation system that considers these values and that can effectively serve our students now and into the future.”
The transportation survey covers four topics: current transportation methods, utilization of district transportation, transportation preferences, and school start and end times.
The survey will be open to all Katy ISD parents and community members. Every person with a current email address on file will receive a personal survey invitation. Paper surveys will be available upon request, and surveys in Spanish will be sent home with students at select schools across Katy.
“Community feedback is an important component of our decision-making process. I encourage everyone to participate,” Frailey said. “It is only by working together that we will be able to make Katy ISD the best educational experience for every student.”
Katy ISD’s enrollment surpassed 70,000 students this year and is projected to top 90,000 by 2023, causing district leaders to characterize the current transportation system as unsustainable. The key variable for providing transportation services is the availability of drivers. This is a challenge many school districts face, as it is a well-documented problem across the region, state, and country.
Once the survey closes on January 21, district leaders will use the results to provide transportation recommendations. Their recommendations will be presented to the Board of Trustees in February or March.
Potential changes include new bus route modeling and multi-bell schedules.
Courtesy of Katy ISD
