Mary Ellen Cuzela - Former Katy ISD Board of Trustees

08/04/2026

If you think having the Ten Commandments up on a classroom wall is pesky or reading Bible texts is risky, this commentary might be for you.

"Texas’s Bible curriculum does not ask students to pray, profess belief, or participate in worship. It assigns Scripture the way a literature class assigns Beowulf. Whether to opt out is a separate question."

"The court went out of its way to note that the Bible remains “worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities,” a line that has quietly supported comparative religion and Bible-as-literature courses in public universities for decades."

"Lincoln’s classic House Divided speech drew from the Gospels of St. Mark and Matthew; his second inaugural leaned on the Psalms to explain the Civil War’s losses as divine judgment on slavery; Harriet Tubman was known as Moses for leading enslaved Americans out of bo***ge; the titles of American literature, from East of Eden to Song of Solomon, are themselves a catalog of biblical reference. A student who cannot place those allusions is missing part of the country she is being educated to understand."

Thank you, TX State Board of Education members like Dr. Audrey Young, Texas State Board of Education District 8 , Julie Pickren for Texas State Board of Education #7 , and Brandon Hall, for your diligence and perseverance in providing richer standards for our students.

COMMENTARY: If public schools expose students to Scripture as one of the foundational texts of Western civilization, Catholic families should welcome the chance to build on that foundation.

07/22/2026

The TX Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has a guardrail for online education; it's called the 50/50 Rule which states no more than 50% of coursework may be online. Note the slide here from Texas A&M's College of Education & Human Development.

THECB's 50/50 Rule is in place to "ensure students receive a rigorous, high-quality education by maintaining active in-person interaction with faculty and peers."

A similar guardrail is a must for K-12 education to strike a healthy balance with technology. I asked about this when on the board but it fell on deaf ears. Instead, a 100% online HS was teed up ("Legacy" HS) and the 1:1 Chromebook rollout remains highly defended with unlimited, highly encouraged application no matter the age of the student.

I hope the current Board requests for a similar rule / guideline for all of K-12. If this is important to you, press your board members to lead and make it happen.

They should not be waiting on the TEA (TX Ed Agency for K-12) nor TASB (TX Association of School Boards, a tax payer funded lobbyist) to tell them what to do. Katy is an INDEPENDENT School District.

07/18/2026

I think this is a great idea. Sure hope Katy ISD collaborates soon like LCISD did. I really appreciate Constables Norvell and Albritton trying to make our communities safer, esp for minors. This is common sense.

E-vehicles are experiencing rapid growth in Katy as both a commuting tool and as a recreational option. However, their growing popularity – especially among students – have created traffic …

05/22/2026

I couldn't miss this graduation. I wanted to be there for Principal Julie Hinson who is retiring plus enjoy the Maverick way. It was a beautiful night that ended with a special moment when Principal Hinson gave her son his diploma. 💜

Favorite Quotes from Principal Hinson tonight:

"I don't just know you as a principal; I know you."

"Our school is more than a building; it's a community and family."

"Be the best for yourself. No one gets to define what's best for you."

Congrats, Mavericks! 🎉

05/21/2026

Happy Last Day of School, Katy ISD! I hope you really enjoy summer!!

05/19/2026

BIG CONGRATS to ALL grads but esp to the Taylor HS Grads tonight! 🎉 Many of you were my daughter's friends. Thanks for the memories! 💙🩵

05/18/2026

Hey, hey... ❤️ this. 👊🔥

Tompkins outpaced the Class 6A boys field with Blake Hamilton the star of the show for the Falcons. bit.ly/3RJYPbq

05/09/2026

There are 2 board meetings on Mon, May 11.

1. Certification of the May 2 Board Election at 3:45pm.

2. The Regular Board Mtg at 5pm.
This agenda has been posted. It will be in a slightly diff order because of the Oaths of Office to take place for your newly elected Trustees.

Right after the Oaths of Office, the new board will go into Closed Session. Election of new board officers, pledges and recognitions follow. Public Comment is after all of that.

March Financial Stmts show a $(37M) deficit and $46M Bond Savings from the 2023 and 2021 bonds along with $19M in Misc Capital Income.

Retrofitting buses with seatbelts per TX SB546 will be discussed.

It has been an honor serving the Katy ISD Community. Thank you.

05/03/2026

The school board election is now done. Unofficial results are in. Less than half of the voters who came out last year elected Taylor, Davidson and Shipley.

Total voter turnout was a measly 3%.

So, ~8,000 voters out of a possible ~240,000 actually voted for board members that will oversee (or not) a yearly $1B+ operating budget, policy for ~96,000 students and 14,000 staff members (~7,000 teachers) and a Superintendent.

I believe this is the first time that there was a 50% drop in voter turnout compared to the prior year.

25% of the votes were mail in ballots compared to a much lower % last year.

***This hidden election should be in Nov.***
It should be administered by the county, not the school district and District Counsel. Polls should be at county polls to avoid voter confusion.

Voters have spoken for 10+ years. They don't like May elections.

The ones who prefer May elections are definitely in the minority. What are the Special Interests? Do they represent the majority of Katy or not?

04/22/2026

Ten Commandments posters stay up. 🔥💯

Today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling upholding the constitutionality of S.B. 10, the Texas Ten Commandments law, allowing Ten Commandments displays to continue being placed in