Texas House bill would require a public vote on school district splits
Texas bill requires a vote on school district splits
Keller ISD's controversial plan to split in half prompted a Fort Worth lawmaker to file HB 5089. The bill aims to give the community a voice when school districts are considering a split. It would require a public vote and an equal distribution of finances and assets between the two new districts.
Committee hears bill requiring vote for school splits
A bill aimed at giving Texans a voice in deciding whether a school district can split up will go before the House Public Education Committee today. This bill comes after the Keller ISD idea of a district split that ultimately fell apart.
KELLER, Texas - A bill aimed at giving Texans a voice in deciding whether a school district can split up goes before the House Public Education Committee on Tuesday.
It was filed in direct response to the Keller Independent School District’s controversial plan.
House Bill 5089
What we know:
In short, HB 5089 would require a petition signed by 20% of registered voters in an existing school district to go before the state board of education.
If approved, the idea of splitting would then go up for a public vote. A new district can only be formed if a majority of voters agree with it.
Then, the two districts would split finances and assets equally.
The backstory:
Republican State Rep. Charlie Green of Fort Worth filed the bill in response to Keller ISD recent split controversy.
Earlier this year, five Keller ISD school board members began considering the idea, citing financial deficits due to a lack of funding.
Keller ISD discusses possibility of splitting the district in two
Keller ISD school board president Charles Randklev is framing the split as a "reshaping" of the district.
They believed the move could be done unilaterally.
But the idea was met with overwhelming community disapproval.
Those against the move argued the new district would include the less affluent side of Keller ISD. It would be left without access to facilities and would have to deal with the original district’s debt.
Keller ISD drops plan to split the district in two
The Keller Independent School District’s board of trustees will not follow through with plans to split the district to deal with budget restraints.
The idea was squashed after the Texas Education Agency began investigating the school board.
What they're saying:
A group from Keller is now in Austin sharing testimony on how the potential split affected the community.
"Here's my warning every district in Texas must hear. If it can happen in Keller, it can happen anywhere. Without clear, concise education codes and safeguards, any one board can be hijacked by a small group pushing an agenda, tearing apart communities without any input from the people who helped build it," said Joni Smith, a Keller ISD school board member.
"This bill that's being proposed does not address the ambiguity. In fact, it makes it worse because it brings it to the SBOE. Do you think the SBOE is going to be able to validate the petition and all the signatures to verify that they are all registered voters within the Keller school district?" asked John Birt, another Keller ISD school board member.
What's next:
If HB 5089 passes the Texas House, it would move on to the Texas Senate for a vote.
If it passes in both chambers, it would head to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk.
If he signs it, it would go into effect on Sept. 1.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Texas House Publice Education Committee agenda, HB 5089, the Keller Independent School District, and past news covereage.