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There has been much speculation on social media recently about Keller ISD Board members possibly splitting the district into two separate districts.
Fort Worth District 4 Councilman Charlie Lauersdorf confirmed the board is looking “at the feasibility of a split.”
The details
Lauersdorf said via email that he was told, unofficially, from a school board member “whom I will keep private for now, as it was a private conversation” that the board is looking at the feasibility of a split.
“When I asked why I, or the city [of Fort Worth], wasn’t made aware of these plans, I was told that it was because it was so early on in the process that they haven’t discussed it with anyone outside the board,” Lauersdorf said. “I reminded this board member that over two-thirds of KISD fall within the city of Fort Worth and that I represent a vast majority of those residents, so I’d hope to be included in any future conversations.”
Several social media groups have speculated that a special meeting will be called Jan. 16 to discuss that option. Lauersdorf said he was also hearing of that same date and that it was simply to explore the possibility of a split.
No notice of a Jan. 16 meeting has been posted yet, according to the Keller ISD website. Meeting agendas are required to be posted on the front door of the building and online at least 72 hours in advance.
What they're saying
"While my understanding is that the City of Fort Worth wouldn’t have an official say in how the KISD Board would make this decision, it is my hope that KISD involves myself, Councilman [Alan] Blaylock, [Fort Worth] Mayor [Mattie] Parker, other city officials – and, most importantly, the families and staff affected – in their discussions, no matter what stage those discussions are in," Lauersdorf said.
"While KISD hasn’t officially reached out, we are all standing by ready to collaborate and assist where we can, whether it’s providing data, our positions or just input."
In addition to Lauersdorf, Parker said she learned of the potential move to split Keller ISD on Jan. 8 during an afternoon city meeting.
"I have yet to hear directly from Keller ISD leadership or board officials," Parker said. "Based on the information I’ve gathered since then, I do not support a move to split Keller ISD, which would impact countless students and families. Ensuring every child has full access to a quality education should be the top priority for all decision makers. And, like every decision regarding our kids and their education, it’s critical this discussion and process is given extremely careful thought."
Keller ISD Board President Charles Randklev said he is "not in a position to comment right now" when contacted by Community Impact.
Updated 5:30 p.m., Jan. 9
Place 2 Trustee Joni Shaw Smith and Place 3 Trustee Chelsea Kelly, who are both against splitting the district, posted comments Jan. 9 on their respective Facebook pages concerning the rumored discussion of splitting the district.
"After much prayer and thoughtful consideration, both Chelsea and myself believe that it is essential to publicly address the pending action of the Board regarding the potential detachment of Keller ISD," Smith posted on her Facebook page. "It is our sincere hope that the Board will pause this process and establish an orderly, transparent approach that prioritizes collaboration, community input, and careful consideration before any final decision is made."
Kelly said via Facebook that "the Board has only had one closed-session meeting about it, 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."
Kelly also talked about how a split would work logistically.
"The idea of splitting off part of Keller ISD raises many questions: How would this affect property taxes and school funding? What would it mean for maintaining existing buildings? How would feeder patterns and student assignments change? How will this effect our property values? What stadium would we use? What about KCAL???" she wrote. "These are important concerns that NEED ANSWERS before any decisions are made."
Updated 9:30 a.m., Jan. 10
Randklev posted comments on his Facebook page confirming the Board of Trustees will hold a special executive meeting Jan. 16 to discuss the possibility of reshaping the district. The main factor Randklev said is the impetus for this discussion is the lack of action at the state level to support school districts.
"It’s evident that the state continues to prioritize other areas over the education of our children," Randklev posted on Facebook. "As a result, school districts throughout our state are being faced with unprecedented challenges. As an example, neighboring districts are closing campuses, increasing class sizes and cutting programming. We refuse to accept this as our fate, and we will unapologetically fight for our students and staff."
Randklev added if, after the Jan. 16 meeting, the board believes a possible division of the district is in the "best interest of our students" the board would "act accordingly."
In an email to Community Impact, Place 5 Trustee Chris Coker echoed Randklev's Facebook statement about any possible actions taken would be in the best interest of students.
"I can assure everyone that if it becomes apparent in our discussions that this will negatively impact kids or student outcomes, the discussion becomes dead in the water," Coker said. "Innovative discussions must be had if we are going to continue to attempt to navigate the funding problems the state continues to force us to deal with."
Updated 1:13 p.m., Jan. 10
Randklev responded to Community Impact's request for comment and, when asked if the Jan. 16 meeting would be open to the public or a closed session, he said all district meetings are open to the public and include a time slot for public comments.
"The board is required to take any action in public and I don’t anticipate any action at our Jan. 16 meeting as we’re still gathering information and input," he said.
He added that the Texas Open Meetings Act allows the board to receive advice from its attorney in executive session and that the trustees will be consulting with an attorney during the meeting.
"This has been standard practice for decades,” Randklev said.
Updated 4:30 p.m., Jan. 14
Keller ISD will hold a special meeting Jan. 16 to discuss the possibility of splitting into separate two districts. If approved, the district would need to meet other requirements to move forward with the plan, including getting approval from the Tarrant County Commissioners Court and holding an election. Read the rest of this update to the on-going story.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include Randklev's comment, Coker's comment and Facebook posts from Randklev, Smith and Kelly. Keller ISD Board Trustees Micah Young and John Birt have been contacted for comment.
