Katy Citizen Watchdog$

We’re Taxpayers. It’s Our Money.

Watchdog Group Wants To Influence Katy's Spending

Back To “Watchdog Archives (“In The News”)”

 

A new conservative education watchdog group is challenging the Katy school district's spending.

 

"We want greater fiscal accountability by the district," said Chris Cottrell, leader of Katy Citizen Watchdogs. "That's the simplest way I can put it. I want to feel I'm being properly represented in the way the money is being spent and that our money is being handled responsibly."

 

Trustees said they make careful decisions based on sound spending policies.

 

"We do a good job of managing the district and educating our pupils,"

trustee Judith Snyder said.

 

At the district's Aug. 25 budget hearing, Cottrell criticized Katy for building elaborate schools and said the district was top-heavy with administrators. He said district computer equipment purchases were excessive.

 

"I understand a district with the population of Katy has to build new schools, but if they were built cheaper, we could save millions," Cottrell said.

 

Trustee Eric Duhon said the goal is not to build schools that are cheap, but to provide ones that endure.

 

"We're building good schools that will last a long time," Duhon said.

"They're not Taj Mahal projects. There's no granite or marble."

 

Snyder said the district, which approved a budget of almost $400 million on Monday, carefully examines costs for projects and equipment before making decisions.

 

District spokesman Steve Stanford said state data shows that Katy has a lower percentage of administrators than the state average. According to 2003-04 Texas Education Agency data, Katy administrators comprised 3.2 percent of the district's more than 6,000 employees, which was .05 percent lower than the average for Texas school districts.

 

Cottrell said the grassroots group was formed in part in reaction to a Texas Ranger's probe into allegations that school employees misused the district e-mail system to send political messages to one another before May elections.

 

The district has given more than 100 e-mails to the Texas Ethics Commission to review. Fort Bend County District Attorney John Healey is investigating.

 

Cottrell said he already had been upset with the direction of the district when the e-mail controversy arose. News of the allegations was one factor that spurred him to contact the Austin-based chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a national organization that describes itself as seeking to restrain state and federal government growth.

 

Cottrell began forming the Katy group in July. While he addressed trustees as an individual at last week's budget meeting, on Monday he formally introduced his group to the board.

 

Katy Citizen Watchdogs has about a half-dozen members and expects to grow as the public becomes aware of it, Cottrell said. Last week, members launched a Web site at www.katycitizens.org.

 

Members include longtime district critic A.D. Muller, former Katy trustee Mary McGarr and local activist Fred Hink, the former president of Katy Zero Tolerance, a group seeking to protect parental rights in school districts'

discipline process.

 

 

 

Helen Eriksen, Houston Chronicle

Date: 09/01/05