Keller ISD board officially accepts superintendent's resignation over district split controversy

KELLER, Texas - The Keller ISD school board officially accepted the resignation of Superintendent Tracy Johnson during a special meeting on Thursday.

She is stepping down at a time when there is a lot of uncertainty and a lot of questions about the school district’s future.

Keller ISD superintendent resigns

The backstory:

During a school board meeting last month, Dr. Johnson offered her resignation, saying she was against a proposal to split the district in two.

In late January, the district named Dr. Cory Wilson the interim superintendent.

Johnson was noticeably absent from that meeting, and her nameplate had been removed. 

What's new:

On Thursday, the school board held a special meeting and voted to officially accept Johnson’s resignation and name Wilson as her interim replacement.

Trustees Chelsea Kelly and Joni Shaw Smith voiced their opposition.

"I don’t think Dr. Johnson wanted to go voluntarily and it just breaks my heart because right now this is not what our district needed," Trustee Kelly said.

Trustee Shaw Smith agreed and said she’d rather be accepting the resignation of some other board members.

"She truly has what is in the best interest for our kids, for our teachers, and this district in her heart and in her desire to be the superintendent. And I don’t feel that this was something that she really truly wanted to let go of," she said. "The fact that she was put in a position that she felt was going against her beliefs of what was right and what was good for our students is what led her to this resignation."

Keller ISD considers splitting the district

What we know:

Like many Texas public school districts, Keller ISD is currently grappling with a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit.

But unlike other districts that are cutting staff or closing schools, some Keller ISD leaders believe a split would help the district save money while reducing class sizes and offering more individual attention for students.

School board president Charles Randklev said the plan to "reshape" the district is a direct response to the lack of funding for public schools.

"Despite this progress, it’s evident that the state continues to prioritize other areas over the education of our children. 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 wrote on social media.

He also emphasized that nothing is set in stone yet. Committees are simply studying the idea.

What they're saying:

A large majority of the parents who signed up to speak at the January school board meeting oppose the split, arguing it would worsen inequities as far as the resources that are available for students.

"You have lied to us. You defrauded our community. You are harming our district. You ran on transparency with not a word about this awful plan to split our district. You are attempting to subvert the will of the people by exploiting a legal loophole that doesn’t exist," a parent said during public comments at the January board meeting.

"It is absolutely unacceptable for you to be exploiting an ambiguous law to allow a unilateral decision without the vote of the people. This is absolutely disgusting," another parent said.

The other side:

A smaller group of parents supports the idea of a split and a smaller district.

"You have faced the mob, the noise, the backlash. Yet, you have stayed focused," a parent said. "Your strength and courage and your vision are not just commemorable but vital. I am pro-split if this gives kids better opportunities."

What we don't know:

Keller ISD’s leaders shared proposal maps with Highway 377 as a dividing line. Everything to the east of the highway and railroad tracks would remain part of the district. 

However, leaders haven’t publicly shared information about what happens to all the schools and students on the west side of the tracks, which statistically are more diverse with lower-income families. 

There are widely circulated rumors that the west side would be forced to form a new school district called Alliance ISD and would lose access to district-wide resources like Keller ISD’s athletic complex, natatorium, and the Keller Center for Advanced Learning. 

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