“Under a reshaping scenario, distributing this debt fairly would require tens of millions in additional funding — resources we simply do not have,” Keller ISD Board of Trustees President Charles Randklev wrote in an email to school district community members. “This added financial burden would not best serve the Keller ISD students, teachers, and families.”
Rumors of the split have left a lingering distrust among some Keller ISD residents.
“We can’t relax because we can’t trust them,” one parent told WFAA.
The satirical Facebook page for the proposed new district, Alliance Independent School District, has even launched fundraising campaigns to recover revenue Keller ISD lost in recently canceled events.
“Now that the district split is behind us and we look ahead, there’s no denying the collateral damage caused by all the discussions — especially to some of the most dedicated supporters of our students and teachers,” read the post from Alliance ISD launching a spring break spirit week to raise funds for Keller ISD.
Here’s a timeline of how Keller ISD arrived at this point:
Dec. 19: Three Board Officials Reveal Plan to Split
Randklev, Board Vice President John Birt and Trustee Micah Young unveiled plans to split the district to the rest of the board. The lines traced U.S. Route 77, effectively isolating the majority of the district’s wealth and resources to the district that would retain the Keller ISD name while leaving not much left over for the new district.
Jan. 9: Whistleblowers Confirm the Split
Board Trustees Joni Shaw and Chelsea Kelly confirmed the rumors of the potential split and a backroom board meeting in a joint Facebook account. “The Board has only had one closed-session meeting about it, and this was the first time I heard about it,” wrote Kelly on Facebook. “I am not ok with this. I am not ok with the way this has been rolled out or that our community has had no input on this idea.”
Jan. 16: The District Holds A Special Meeting, and a Concerned Parent Sues the District
After widespread backlash, the district held a special session open to the public. Hours before the meeting was held, Matthew Mucker, a Keller ISD parent, sued the school board for partaking in the backroom meeting in violation of the law. Over a hundred angered community members appeared to testify before the school board.
“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.”
Many of the parents highlighted the displacement of resources and the concentration of wealth that would occur in the proposed Keller ISD split.
“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 local 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.”
At the end of four hours of testimony, Keller ISD Superintendent Tracy Johnson suggested she would step down from her position in response to the scandal.
"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.”
Jan. 30: The District Details the Budget Crisis
At the monthly board meeting, Keller ISD trustees were joined by a team of contracted accountants to detail the colossal $10 million budgetary deficit the district is operating under. The report cites stagnant state funding and decreased enrollment rates as causes of the deficit. Supporters of splitting the district said the division could prevent shuttering schools, an option other North Texas districts have taken recently. “We must find a way to keep our tax dollars local, keep our schools open, support our excellent teachers and ensure all students receive the high-quality education they deserve,” Randklev said during the meeting.
Johnson did not appear at the meeting, and a discussion about her resignation scheduled for the meeting was delayed. Cory Wilson has been serving as the interim superintendent since January.
Feb. 7: Students Get Involved
The controversy reached the student body, and a walkout was organized to protest the split. “We refuse to be strangled by your noose of absolutism. We refuse to let your opaqueness stifle us,” Heath Shifflett, organizer of the protest, said in a pointed statement to Randklev during the walkout. “You are not a king. You are a president. And by democracy, you shall govern.”
Feb. 11: Big-Name Lawyers Step Up to the Plate
Heritage, a neighborhood in far North Fort Worth that would be cut out of Keller ISD, enlisted the help of Kelly Hart & Hallman, a prominent Fort Worth law firm. “Retaining Kelly Hart & Hall sends a clear message,” said the Heritage Life HOA in a press release. “ We are prepared to use every legal avenue available to us to protect the rights of our residents and ensure their voices are heard on this critical issue.”
March 14, Split Plans Are Canceled
On Friday afternoon, Wilson and Randklev emailed all district residents to announce the abandonment of the plan to split in. “While we recognize the potential benefits of reshaping the District, the challenges listed above make it clear there is no viable path forward,” read the email. “This decision was not made lightly, and the challenges would not have been fully understood without further investigating his process.”
