Keller ISD voters reelect incumbent, reject another in school board races
The votes are in, and according to unofficial results, Keller school board member Chelsea Kelly has won big in her bid for reelection, with 60.45% of the vote in Place 3. Joni Shaw Smith, however, lost her reelection bid in Place 2, where Jennifer Erickson won with 52.39% of the vote. Randy Campbell took Place 1 with 52.7%.
The three winners won the majority of precincts on the west side of the school district, and all won at least a handful of precincts on the east side. Campbell took 12 east side precincts followed by Erickson, who took eight.
When reached for comment, Kelly, who designs and manages wine cellars, expressed gratitude to the voters for their trust, then turned her attention to the job ahead.
“I am here to fight for this community,” Kelly said. “To ensure that every student has access to a safe and empowering educational environment. To advocate for the voices of parents, teachers and students alike. And to uphold the values that make our community strong: respect, integrity and a commitment to excellence. This is just the beginning.”
Likewise, Erickson, a senior director of communications with Texas Health Resources, said she appreciated the community’s support, and she said she was looking forward to joining the board.
“I’m eager to get started on behalf of all our working families, students and professional educators,” said Erickson.
Campbell, a retired commercial airline pilot, said he, too, was grateful for the faith voters placed in him and vowed to take a collaborative approach in office.
“I am proud of this school district and look forward to working with everyone to make Keller ISD even better,” he said.
And while Shaw Smith said “the results of this election weren’t what I had hoped for,” she said she was proud of her work as a trustee on behalf of the district, and she promised to remain committed to the community.
“I ran on a promise to serve with transparency, unity and dedication, and I fulfilled that promise every single day,” Shaw Smith said. “I put my heart and soul into this district, and I’m proud of all we accomplished together. Thank you to everyone who supported me, believed in me and stood by our mission to put our district first.”
Given the controversy that’s been swirling around Keller since January, when news broke that five of the seven school board members were considering a plan to split the district, these three trustee races have been among the most closely watched in Tarrant County this election cycle.
Shaw Smith and Kelly, both of whom live in Fort Worth, were vocal opponents of the split plan, which was reportedly put forth by board president Charles Randklev, vice president John Birt and current Place 1 trustee Micah Young. Young is not seeking reelection. Birt is up for reelection in 2026, followed by Randklev in 2027.
The split was called off on March 14, with board members citing financial barriers as the reason. Before that, the idea was to divide the Keller school district in half using U.S. 377 as the boundary line. If the plan had gone forward, schools in the Fort Worth city limits would have been detached from those in Keller, Southlake, Colleyville and Watauga.
Residents on the west side of the district — the Fort Worth side — strongly criticized the proposal, fearing what it would mean for their schools and their property values.
According to trustees Chris Coker, Place 5, and Birt, the plan never went beyond the fact-finding stage.
Nonetheless, the board is now facing two lawsuits, one of which was brought by Keller district residents and parents who allege trustees violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when they discussed the split plan behind closed doors at a December board meeting without it being listed on the agenda. The other lawsuit, brought by Dallas-based Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors, alleges board election rules violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Staff reporter Elly Dearman contributed to this story.
This story was originally published May 3, 2025 at 7:14 PM.