Keller school board meeting on district split: What’s on the agenda and what to expect
The Keller school board is set to host another meeting on Jan. 30, and financial report related to a proposed split of the district is on the agenda.
Concerned parents and students speaking at a Jan. 16 meeting overwhelmingly opposed the split and criticized the way it has been rolled out to the public as lacking transparency.
School board trustees have touted the plan as a last-resort solution to crippling funding problems. Opponents decry the move as an attempt to racially segregate the district and saddle the new “Alliance ISD” with debt while concentrating educational resource and the football stadium and natatorium in what would become the new Keller ISD.
Trustees initially wanted to keep the proposal from the public to avoid an outcry, according to Fort Worth City council member Charlie Lauersdorf, who told the Star-Telegram he’d heard that from an unnamed board member.
The idea was first floated behind closed doors at a school board meeting on Dec. 19. First Amendment attorneys specializing in the Texas Open Meetings Act told the Star-Telegram that was likely a violation of the law. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office confirmed it received complaints related to the potential violation, but it was unclear if prosecutors are investigating.
So what’s on the docket for Thursday’s meeting, and what can the public expect to see when trustees and residents get together.
What’s on the Keller school board agenda?
The most notable item on Thursday’s agenda concerns the likely resignation of Superintendent Tracy Johnson.
Johnson shocked attendees at the Jan. 16 special meeting when she announced she had already written her letter of resignation and would tender it pending the results of the closed-door discussion that night.
She did not resign upon returning from executive session, but the agenda for the Jan. 30 meeting includes an item to consider and take possible action on a “Superintendent Voluntary Separation Agreement,” as well as one to name an interim superintendent.
Trustees will receive legal advice on Johnson’s likely departure during the executive session.
They will also consult their attorney on a lawsuit filed by district parent on Jan. 16 that seeks an injunction against any future violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act.
The board will also discuss a financial report created by the Austin-based third-party school finance consultancy Moak Casey concerning the proposal to split the district. Trustee Micah Young promised attendees at the Jan. 16 meeting that they would be given this report.
The Star-Telegram has requested the report from the board and Moak Casey, but has not received a response.
The agenda also includes discussion of a report by financial firm RSM. A district representative did not immediately respond to an email seeking clarification.
What can we expect at the Keller school board meeting?
The most notable topic not explicitly stated on the agenda is the proposal to split the district, or the creation of a new district by “detachment,” per the Texas Education Code.
The pros and cons of a split are likely be covered in the discussion on the Moak Casey report. However, no item to explicitly discuss detachment is on the agenda.
The issue will definitely come up during the audience participation. Over 120 people signed up to speak at the Jan. 16 meeting, and the issue continues to draw significant public attention. Reaction has so far leaned heavily toward opposition of the split, but discussion on social media appears to show that district residents in favor have organized to show up to express their support.
Audience participation is likely to be limited to two minutes per person, but if similar numbers show up to speak, this part of the meeting could take hours.
The executive session could also last multiple hours. The Jan. 16 meeting adjourned just before midnight. Bring snacks, water and any other things you may need in order to sit out what promises to be another long meeting.
What we know about the proposal to split Keller ISD
The main complaint of district residents who oppose the split is that the public has been told very little about it.
For example, the board has not said where the lines for the new districts would be drawn. The general consensus among the public, however, is that the split would form along the north-south line of the Denton Highway.
Opponents have taken this to mean that those pushing for a split want to cut out students and families who live “on the wrong side of the tracks,” referring to the rail line that runs parallel to that road.
Young confirmed opponents’ suspicion that trustees plan on christening the district formed to the west of this line “Alliance ISD” at the Jan. 16 meeting.
That suspicion has prompted a parody “Alliance ISD” Facebook page and led a Fort Worth mom to sell merchandise emblazoned with the spoof logo. She is donating the profits to a local nonprofit that helps low-income students pay for school lunches.
School board President Charles Randklev has said that Alliance ISD would receive $300 more per student than Keller currently receives, but did not provide data or methodology to show how he arrived at those numbers.
Randklev and other trustees have not responded to multiple emails seeking information about the proposal.
An FAQs page on the district’s website has some information on the “reshaping” of the district. In addition to more per-student funding, a split would result in fewer dollars sent to the state as part of the recapture program. The page also states that smaller districts would be more fiscally efficient, but like Randklev’s statements in the Jan. 16 meeting, the page does not show its work.
The page also does not give a timeline for the process, stating that it will be determined based on “district needs.”
The page contends that students would feel minimal effects of a split, as most would remain in the feeder patterns in which they are currently enrolled. Teachers would also stay in their current schools.
Educational resource and athletic facilities, most of which are in Keller, would be shared between the two districts, the website states. Randklev has said on social media that this is common practice in Texas, but did not respond to an email asking for examples.
A split would not affect property taxes in the new districts, the page states. Each new district would set its own tax rate, per Texas law.
The page also includes a comment form for the public to provide feedback.
When and where is the Keller school board meeting, and how do I sign up to speak?
Thursday’s meeting begins at 5 p.m., and doors open about a half an hour before it starts. It will be held at the Keller ISD Education Center, located at 350 Keller Parkway in Keller.
You can sign up to speak via this online form. The deadline to sign up is noon on Thursday.
