A newly revealed plan to divide Keller Independent School District into two separate districts is dividing parents and school board members.
Local families learned of the controversial proposal after trustees responded on social media to rumors about plans to detach a portion of Keller ISD and form a new school district.
“The rumor is true,” Trustee Joni Smith posted Thursday on Facebook.
According to Smith, the plan was “revealed” to her and other trustees on December 19, during a closed session of a regular board meeting, by Board President Charles Randklev and Trustees John Birt and Micah Young.
Smith explained that she and Trustee Chelsea Kelly believed it was “essential to publicly address the pending action of the Board regarding the potential detachment of Keller ISD.”
“To say that Trustee Kelly and I were blindsided and shocked is an understatement,” she wrote.
Both Smith and Kelly are urging the board to “pause this process and establish an orderly, transparent approach that prioritizes collaboration, community input, and careful consideration before any final decision is made.”
Smith called for a task force to “thoroughly examine” the proposal and address “numerous unanswered questions” about the financial, legal, and logistical aspects of the proposed split.
In a similar post on Thursday, Kelly confirmed that the board has held just one closed-session discussion about plans to split the district in two, “and this was the first time I heard about it.”
“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,” she wrote.
Kelly said the idea of splitting off part of Keller ISD raises important questions about property taxes, school funding, maintaining and using existing buildings, student feeder patterns, and more.
“I understand the uncertainty and anxiety this proposal has created for our students, families, and staff,” she wrote, encouraging community members to stay informed and actively participate in discussions.
Trustee Chris Coker also responded on Facebook, asking the public to keep an open mind.
“Effective governance is rooted in accountability, and the closer oversight is to the community, the better aligned it becomes with the values and priorities of those it serves,” wrote Coker.
There is a more effective way to fund and administer education than the system created many decades ago. We see this in the broken method of school finance we have today. With wise leadership, we can achieve meaningful reform. By gathering all the facts, weighing the benefits and drawbacks, and pursuing the best path forward, we can deliver the future our students and educators deserve.
“I want to clarify something, this IS the process,” Coker added. “Limited board members were read into the details to prevent a violation of TOMA [Texas Open Meetings Act] (I was not one of them, and that’s ok)… I understand that this is a shocking idea, but if we don’t look at all options available to us, then we are not doing what we were elected for.”
Randklev also responded on Facebook to the revelations by Smith and Kelly.
He blamed inadequate education funding from the state for driving school districts to close campuses, increase class sizes, and cut programming.
“We refuse to accept this as our fate, and we will unapologetically fight for our students and staff,” Randklev wrote.
“An idea of this magnitude requires significant legal analysis therefore we will have these discussions internally as a board and we will present a plan in an open and transparent manner when we have information to share,” he added.
Randklev said Keller ISD trustees and administration will hold a special executive meeting on January 16 “to continue discussing internally whether there is merit in reshaping the district.”
“At the conclusion of that meeting should the Board of Trustees believe this path is in the best interest of our students then the board will act accordingly, all while providing more details along with answers to commonly asked questions.”
Parents left hundreds of comments on the trustees’ posts.
Some are willing to wait and see, while others believe the divide will benefit families on one side of the district while harming the others.
Many are upset about trustees’ lack of transparency and failure to talk with district families before pursuing the idea of a split.
“The fact is before you spend ALL this money (we don’t apparently have) discussing with attorneys, perhaps you should present the idea to the COMMUNITY,” commented Keller mom, Kris Kittle. “Remember us? The ones that you supposedly represent? Why not make sure we support the idea before you go running off to make your plans. Just a recommendation.”
Creating a new school district by detachment requires a public vote in which at least 25 percent of registered voters in the district participate.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for January 23.
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