Keller ISD board accepts superintendent's resignation, officially names interim
KELLER – The Keller ISD board of trustees voted unanimously Thursday morning to accept the resignation of Superintendent Tracy Johnson.
The trustees met in a special board meeting, most of which was spent behind closed doors in executive session. Johnson offered to resign due to her opposition to the board's push to split the district in two.
The board also voted 4-2 to appoint Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Cory Wilson as interim superintendent. Wilson was named as interim last month, but the board put off a vote on accepting Johnson's resignation until Thursday.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 27.
Proposal draws intense opposition
Thursday's meeting was the latest development in the fast-moving controversy. It was only in mid-January that the board's idea to split the district in two became public.
The trustees who are in favor of the plan, including board president Charles Randklev, say it will help the district handle "unprecedented financial challenges." According to an FAQ page on the district's website, a split will increase per-pupil funding for most students and keep local dollars local.
Much of the criticism around the plan has focused on how the trustees had previously discussed the idea only behind closed doors and were seemingly ready to vote on the split at a special meeting in January with little public input.
Under the plan, the current Keller ISD would be split roughly along Highway 377, with the western portion being renamed and the eastern portion becoming a new district and taking the Keller ISD name.
Trustee Chelsea Kelly, who is against the split, revealed in January that Ranklev and two other trustees had introduced the plan during a private meeting in December. Kelly said the new district would be called Alliance ISD.
Since the meeting on Jan. 16, scores of people have spoken against the split in Keller ISD board meetings, and thousands have signed an online petition demanding an election.
State law is unclear on whether splitting the district would need an election, or if the board of trustees can act on its own. Either way, the Tarrant County Commissioners Court would also need to approve the plan. This week the Tarrant County district attorney sent a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton asking for guidance.
Keller ISD is also facing one lawsuit over elections to the board of trustees, and a homeowners association in Fort Worth is considering a lawsuit over the split due to its potential impact on property values.
Wealthier neighborhoods split off
The proposed boundaries are key to some of the criticisms because the result would be a wealthier area getting its own district.
The proposal's new Keller ISD would contain only one of the district's regular high schools, Keller High School. Just 6% of students at Keller High School were considered economically disadvantaged, according to the most recent data available from the TEA.
At the proposed Alliance district's three high schools — Keller Central, Timber Creek and Fossil Ridge — the same data shows that approximately 27.5% of students would be considered economically disadvantaged.
Data from a report the board commissioned to study the impact of splitting the district on revenue shows a stark difference in the property tax revenue. Due to higher property values in the new Keller ISD, the per-pupil property tax revenue would be nearly double that of the new Alliance ISD. However, Alliance ISD would receive nearly five times more state aid per pupil than the new Keller ISD.
