Railroads were once used as routes to enforcing racism. Socioeconomic borders were soldered and hammered into cities with iron spikes. Wealth, resources and prosperity were concentrated on one side of the tracks. The old convention, splitting the city along tracklines, is experiencing a renaissance in Keller Independent School District (KISD).
After rumors of a potential division following the tracks that run next to U.S. Route 377 were confirmed by whistleblowers, the school board held a special meeting for community feedback on Thursday. Over a hundred taxpayers from both sides of the track testified before the board, with many expressing anger at the backroom dealings that would strip most of the ISD’s population of community resources.
“The issue of splitting up Keller Independent School District into two separate districts is one that will shape the future of our schools, our children, and our community,” said a community member during the meeting. “As voters, we deserve clarity and accountability in every step of this process. Transparency is not just a buzzword. It's a cornerstone of trust.”
The drama started two weeks ago when a parent learned of rumors to split KISD using the railroad track as the marker line. The rumor mill continued to turn, and word reached social media groups. Speculation became fact when two Keller ISD board of trustees members, Joni Shaw Smith and Chelsea Kelly, released coordinated Facebook posts confirming three board members had secretly met to discuss chopping off the west side of the district.
“When I joined the board for Keller ISD, I did so out of love for this district and a commitment to its success,” Smith wrote on Facebook. “I chose KISD for my two boys because I believed this was a true destination for excellence. And a district of excellence requires a celebration of diversity and embraces a community that allows students to succeed on a global level.”
Smith says the plan to redistrict would create a new school district, to be named Alliance ISD, composed of the 27 schools on the west side. The plan was revealed in a December meeting by Board President Charles Randklev, Vice President John Birt and Trustee Micah Young. Redistricting had never appeared on a meeting agenda, been discussed by the board or, as Smith put it, crossed her mind. Both Smith and Kelly would lose their chairs in the aftermath.
After public outcry, the Thursday meeting lasted hours and reached capacity attendance. Eager speakers who failed to register ahead of time were turned away as the board prepared to listen to over a hundred testimonies, lasting more than three hours, from outraged community members.
“The odoriferous trail of untrue slime left as this board slithers this way around all standards and rules to segregate this district is pungently filling this room,” a particularly angry speaker said. “You will not see exactly what happens when a duplicitous, evil, and frankly, the ostensibly cynical plan is exposed to the citizens of Keller ISD.”
Keller residents highlighted the most obvious issue: the west side of the tracks has a large Black population. In addition, KISD’s most innovative programs, the Keller Center for Advanced Learning, a learning program that allows students to pursue technical certifications before graduating, the natatorium and the athletic complex would become inaccessible to students in Alliance ISD.
“It should be noted that the western side of the district has nearly double the population and will be cut off from those resources…” said one KISD father. “As a side note, when you look at the demographic information, it's not a great look that you want just [ZIP code] 76248 to have it, 80% white, weird.”
But some disgruntled citizens also felt backstabbed and blindsided by what they felt was egregious procedural misconduct.
“Do not let unscrupulous local consultants put your name behind something that will be very, very, very, bad legal precedent,” said a community member.
There were calls to fire Tim Davis, the private lawyer advising KISD, pleas to the board and criticisms of the superintendent, Tracy Johnson. In an unexpected twist, Johnson announced she was prepared to resign in light of the issue. Following the testimony, the board convened in a private executive session, but no decision has been announced regarding the possible district split.
"I am prepared to offer my letter of resignation and retirement and I'm not doing that for theatrics…,” she said. “When we go back to an executive session I do have that ready to go. I'm sorry.”
The preposterousness of the situation spawned a satirical Facebook page for Alliance ISD that amassed over one million page views and 5,000 followers in just a few days. In a Thursday message on the page, the admin expressed disappointment in KISD, in a more serious posting.
“You must immediately abandon the reckless and divisive plan to carve our district into parts — a move that serves narrow interests rather than the entire community," the post read. "This blatant dereliction of duty demonstrates a failure to uphold the trust placed in you by the voters who elected you to represent all 42 schools, and all 33,000+ students, not just a select few who brought outside money to secure your positions.”
