‘No viable path forward' for Keller ISD to pursue split, board president says

Keller ISD officials say they cannot overcome a "major obstacle" in their plan to split the district into two and that there is no viable path forward.

In a letter shared Friday, Keller ISD school board president Charles Randklev and interim Superintendent Cory Wilson said fairly distributing the district's bond debt would require millions in additional funding that the district didn't have.

"After months of vetting, we've identified a major obstacle: managing our existing bond debt. The district currently carries over $700 million in debt from previous bonds. Under a reshaping scenario, distributing this old debt fairly would require tens of millions in additional funding -- resources we simply do not have," the district wrote. "This added financial burden would not best serve the Keller ISD students and community."

Randklev and Wilson wrote that while they recognize the benefits of reshaping the district, there is no viable path forward.

"Despite this decision, we remain committed to identifying financial solutions that best serve Keller ISD students, teachers and families," officials said.

According to the district, those considerations will include bond planning, administrative, non-instructional and programmatic efficiencies and campus consolidation.

"There's a sense of comfort but at the same time I think they're being held accountable," said Allison Allison, a parent.

"I'm worried what the future looks like for those of us who live on the wrong side of the tracks," said Laney Hawes, parent, and vocal critic of the board.

Staying physically unified may be a win, but it's clear the district still remains emotionally divided.   Even board member Joni Shaw Smith saying in a statement she didn't know about this decision until the minute it was announced, adding, "The loss of our superintendent Tracy Johnson, many wonderful teachers, and staff who left because of the chaos. We need to now rebuild trust "

The board's president didn't acknowledge the divide in his letter today, but blamed the district's debt for abandoning the plan, saying distributing it fairly would require tens of millions in funding they simply do not have.

We've learned at least one of the lawsuits over how the district planned to split will go on. Matthew Mucker is one of those suing Keller ISD

"I think that the violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act and the behaviors of the board are of concern to the public, said Mucker. "and the fact that they dropped the proposal to split the district doesn't change that".

 "I will feel relieved and at ease with my children's education and the well being of my community when all of these trustees are no longer school board trustees," said Hawes.

Several North Texas school districts have been forced to close and consolidate campuses as state funding for schools has not increased since 2019. This is despite increases in population and the addition of expensive legislated mandates around security upgrades on campuses statewide.

In January, Keller ISD school board Vice President John Birt told parents and community members who opposed the reshaping plan that if the district didn't split, it would be forced to make hard cuts.

"I'm going to ask them to start looking at what campuses are going to close, what campuses are going to get consolidated, and what teachers are going to be out of a job because this money doesn't fall out of thin air," said Birt.

A report commissioned by the district revealed in late January that splitting the district would not result in financial savings or impact. NBC 5 asked the district why the proposal to split was still under consideration, and they told us they had no response and no timeline for when we could get one. The district’s chief operating officer later confirmed to NBC 5 that the split would generate no additional money for the district.

On Friday, the district said it looks forward to collaborating with families and other community members as it moves forward.