Keller ISD board accepts superintendent's resignation amid controversial district split proposal
Trustees held a special meeting Thursday morning to vote on accepting Tracy Johnson's resignation and approving the terms of an agreement with her replacement.
"This district is in utter chaos," said Trustee Joni Smith. "This community is in utter chaos. We are all hurting and it's not her that caused it. And so while I do not want to accept her resignation, I'm going to honor her request and I wish her the absolute best."
Interim Superintendent Cory Wilson, who previously served as assistant superintendent of education services, is now officially at the helm as the district navigates uncharted waters.
The board is considering a controversial proposal to divide the district in two. Several parents and community members at the meeting spoke out against that plan and against the decision to accept Johnson's resignation. They accused the board of pushing her out.
Johnson had told trustees at a January meeting that she didn't believe a split was right for the kids and she didn't want to be a part of it.
"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," said Trustee Chelsea Kelly, voicing her frustrations with the turmoil.
The trustees pushing for the proposal cite a $9 million budget deficit as a reason for the realignment. However, a report from a third-party consulting firm showed funding wouldn't really change for either of the new districts since the money follows students. The findings were presented at the Jan. 30 board meeting.
Now parents are demanding a cost report for the split and projections for expenditures in the new districts.
"I urge all affected individuals to demand transparency and financial accountability before any decisions are made," said one Keller resident during public comment. "Our students, educators and community deserve better."
During Thursday's meeting, the board did not mention the split proposal or when they planned to discuss the idea next.
"This is chaos and this is how our school board operates," said Laney Hawes, a parent to four Keller ISD students and co-founder of the nonprofit advocacy group Keller ISD Families for Public Education. "And this is how the board operates when they are committed to a political agenda rather than a community."
She doesn't have faith the board will be able to find a qualified permanent replacement for Johnson.
"No one is going to touch Keller with a 100-foot pole at this point," she said. "We're on our third superintendent in less than three years. We are embroiled in legal battles, political battles, embarrassment. No one wants to have a career in Keller ISD right now. Why would they do that to themselves?"
The district is currently facing multiple lawsuits.
One accuses trustees of violating the Texas Open Meetings Act with their private talks of splitting the district.
Another alleges the board's election rules violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Heritage HOA, representing a neighborhood in north Fort Worth, has also retained a law firm to fight the plan.
The Tarrant County District Attorney sent a letter last week, seeking guidance from the Texas Attorney General on whether a public election is needed to split the district or if school board trustees can make that decision on their own
Under Government Code section 402.042(c), the AG has up to 180 days to issue an opinion, but the AG can state it needs more time.
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