Keller school board to consider formally ending split speculation at meeting
Two months after notifying the public that the plan was off, the Keller school board will consider a resolution officially putting to rest the idea of district detachment.
The fourth item, 10.E, under the list of action items for the May 15 board meeting is “approval of resolution concerning no action on the creation of a new independent school district by detachment.”
The May 13 version of the draft resolution reads, “Now, let it be hereby resolved that the Keller Independent School District Board of Trustees hereby resolves that it shall not initiate the creation of a new district by detachment as set out in Section 13.103 of the Texas Education Code or through any further means.”
Section 13.103 of the Texas Education Code allows for the creation of a new school district by detachment through one of two ways: a school board resolution or a petition to the county commissioners court that is signed by at least 10% of the registered voters in the area under consideration for detachment.
In January, former school board trustee Joni Shaw Smith revealed that board President Charles Randklev, Vice President John Birt and former trustee Micah Young had presented a proposal to split the Keller school district in half using U.S. 377 as the dividing line.
The eastern portion of the district comprising schools in the cities of Keller, Colleyville, Southlake and Watauga would be detached from the western portion, which encompasses schools in the Fort Worth city limits. The eastern half would become a new Keller school district, leaving the western half to form its own district.
The news was met with swift backlash, particularly from west side residents who feared what the move would mean for their children, their schools and their property values. There was also disagreement over the split’s legality.
The way pro-split school board members interpreted the Texas Education Code, they believed they could initiate the split without the public voting on the plan. Others disagreed. In response, Rep. Charlie Geren, a Fort Worth Republican, filed Texas House Bill 5089, which would remove some of the ambiguity around the law and require voter approval for future school district detachments. That bill is still in the state legislature.
Keller board trustees called off the split on March 14, citing financial hurdles. Trustees still face two lawsuits: one brought by Keller residents alleging violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act during discussions about the split and another with Keller parent Claudio Vallejo as the plaintiff alleging violations of the Voting Rights Act.
Vallejo, who is represented by Dallas-based Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors, is seeking to change the way Keller school board trustees are elected, alleging the current election rules violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as the 14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The 14th Amendment provides for equal protection under the law for all U.S. citizens. The 15th Amendment ensures citizens’ right to vote, regardless of race or color.