Latest news with #KellerISD
CBS News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Keller ISD names lone finalist for Superintendent
The Keller ISD Board of Trustees named Cory Wilson their lone Superintendent finalist on Thursday night. The district made the announcement in a news release. Wilson has served as the interim superintendent since former Superintendent Tracy Johnson's resignation in January. Wilson has been a part of the KISD for over two decades, previously serving as the Assistant Superintendent of Education Services. Johnson's resignation was unanimously accepted a month after she voiced concerns about the proposal to split the district. Discussions about splitting the district ended in May after community pushback, including multiple lawsuits and Johnson's ultimate resignation. One lawsuit from a parent alleged the board's election rules violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Another accuses trustees of violating the Texas Open Meetings Act with their private talks of splitting the district. Presented in January, the proposal to divide the district along Highway 377, would have created Alliance ISD and divided students from schools and the community. The president of the KISD Board of Trustees praised Wilson's performance as Interim Superintendent, stating, "We are excited for the future of Keller ISD under his leadership." The board will wait the state-mandated 21-day waiting period before officially hiring Wilson for the position.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Keller school board approves lone finalist for superintendent job
The Keller school board named Cory Wilson as the finalist for the district's open superintendent position during a special meeting June 5. Wilson has served as interim superintendent since Jan. 31, following the resignation of Tracy Johnson, who parted ways with Keller schools over a proposal put forth by board members to split the district in half — using U.S. 377 as the dividing line. Board trustees interviewed Wilson in executive session before revealing their decision. The board voted 5-0 in favor of the recommendation. Trustees Charles Randklev and Chris Coker weren't in attendance. The board posted the superintendent position on May 20. At that time, they voted to only consider internal applicants. Prospective candidates had until May 30 to submit their applications. In a statement to the Star-Telegram, a Keller spokesperson said only one candidate applied. By law, the board must wait 21 calendar days before taking action to officially hire Wilson. 'The Board has been pleased with Dr. Wilson's performance during his time as Interim Superintendent and we are excited for the future of Keller ISD under his leadership,' a Keller spokesperson said in the district's statement. Johnson's resignation earlier this year was seen as an act of protest against the plan to split the district. Many around Keller vocally opposed the proposal, which would have detached schools in the eastern portion of the district — those in Keller, Colleyville, Southlake and Watauga — from the ones on the west side of 377 in Fort Worth. The split was called off on March 14, with former school board president Charles Randklev citing financial hurdles. On May 15, the board officially adopted a resolution quashing the proposal. Despite that, the board faces two lawsuits related to the split. On June 4, Randklev was deposed, reportedly for more than six hours, in a suit brought by homeowners in north Fort Worth's Heritage neighborhood. They allege board trustees violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by discussing the split plan behind closed doors and without all trustees in attendance. Former trustee Micah Young is scheduled to be deposed in the same case on June 11. Young did not seek reelection in May for his board seat.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Keller ISD announces lone superintendent finalist
The Brief Dr. Cory Wilson has been named the sole finalist for Keller ISD Superintendent, approved by a 5-0 vote. Wilson has 27 years of education experience, with 23 of those years spent within Keller ISD. He has served as the interim superintendent since January 2025. KELLER, Texas - Keller ISD announced their lone finalist to fill the position of superintendent on Thursday night. Keller ISD has announced Dr. Cory Wilson as the finalist on Thursday. Wilson currently serves as the interim superintendent, which he was appointed to in January 2025. They say Wilson has 27 years of experience in education, 23 of which have been spent at Keller ISD. Wilson taught at Parkwood Hill Intermediate School before beginning his administrative career as first assistant principal at Bette Perot Elementary School. He later served as principal for BPES, then as principal for Ridgeview Elementary School. In 2013, he joined central administration, and later served as assistant superintendent of elementary schools (West), an area superintendent, and most recently as assistant superintendent of education services. Thursday night, the Keller ISD Board of Trustees approved Wilson as their lone finalist in a 5-0 vote. The Source Information in this story came from Keller ISD.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill prompted by Keller school district's proposed split stalls in Texas House
A Texas House bill clarifying whether splitting a school district must be approved by voters missed a critical deadline, giving it little chance of passing before lawmakers leave Austin. Lawmakers on Thursday, May 15 were up against a midnight deadline to give preliminary approval to House bills. Nothing is truly dead until lawmakers adjourn for the last time, and proposals can always be revived through amendments, but the lack of action on the bill represents a major — and likely impassable — hurdle. The debate dragged and then dashed (then at times slowed again) as midnight neared. The volume in the chamber and number of spectators in the House gallery grew as time on the clock dwindled. At midnight, lawmakers were about halfway through a 30 page list of bills. House Bill 5089 by Rep. Charlie Geren, a Fort Worth Republican, was on page 29. The bill was filed after public outcry over a proposed split of the Keller school district along U.S. 377 through a process called detachment. The district would have separated Keller, Southlake, Watauga and Colleyville from district residents west of 377 in north Fort Worth. The idea has since been called off. There have been different interpretations of whether a public vote is required for detachment or if could be done unilaterally through a school board resolution that then goes to county commissioners for approval. The House bill, as updated in committee, outlines the detachment process for school districts that fall within one county — like Keller — and those that span multiple counties. It says the creation of a new district through detachment would be initiated through a petition submitted to a district court, when the new school district falls within a single county. When the new district spans multiple counties, detachment would be initiated through a petition submitted to the commissioners court of each county or through board resolutions from each of the districts from which the new district is being detached, according to a House Research Organization bill analysis. A petition would need to be signed by at least 20% of registered voters in each district being split. Current law sets a 10% threshold and sends the petition to county commissioners for review. The original version of the bill removed the mention of resolutions altogether and gave the State Board of Education oversight of the detachment process, rather than a district court or county commissioners. Rep. David Lowe, a North Richland Hills Republican whose district includes part of the Keller school district, expressed frustration over the day, which he described as largely being spent on bills of little importance. 'Now that we didn't pass this bill, both Keller ISD can split, and now other districts around the state have seen what Keller ISD is attempting to do, and I'm afraid that they may replicate that,' Lowe said. Lowe filed an initial version of the detachment vote proposal before Geren, a took over carrying the legislation. Geren did not immediately return text messages seeking comment. Some Keller school district parents weighed in on the bill's likely end on Thursday as the clock ticked toward midnight. The legislation is necessary, said Matthew Mucker, a parent with three children who sued the district to try and block board members from meeting in violation of Texas open meeting law. He testified in support of the bill when House lawmakers considered it in a late April committee hearing. 'I just think there's a huge danger to Texas and the people of Texas if school boards can decide to throw unwanted portions of their territory out to fend for themselves,' Mucker said. 'I think that, that could lead to districts just abandoning poorer parts of their district or minority parts of their district.' Lawmakers next meet in 2027, with the current legislative session ending June 2. 'What really concerns people in my area is, even though our school board has said that they're going to stop their split and that they would not be seeking a split, two years is a really long time for us to keep that at bay, if the people who currently are in control of our school board, continue to be in control of our school board,' said Katie Woods, whose kids attend Keller schools, in an interview Thursday afternoon. The legislative process has been frustrating, said Laney Hawes, a parent who started Keller Families for Public Education. She raised concerns about the proposal before lawmakers, which she said makes changes not requested by Keller school district parents. A petition needing the support of 20% of voters would likely be 'insurmountable' for large districts, she said, later noting in a text that if there's a school district that needs to split for real reasons, there should be a legitimate path, as long as an election is required. Hawes favors a simpler bill — 'a simple sentence clarifying that a resolution for detachment by a school board would also require an election.' As proposed this session, Hawes said she'd rather the bill not pass. 'In some ways, there's a teensy bit of, like, relief if it doesn't pass as is, because we are worried about some of the ramifications,' Hawes said. 'But what's devastating is that the fix that we need may not happen, and that leaves us open as a community to be split.' Thursday night, the Keller school board adopted a resolution to officially put an end to talk of splitting the district, ending months of speculation and contentious board meetings. 'It's going to be really difficult for our board to split our district in the next year or two, and so if this bill doesn't pass, I think what it would mean is we put some serious time into working with some legislators to create a really great bill that could potentially pass next session,' Hawes said earlier in the day. Lowe said he believes House Bill 5089 is dead for the session, but said he'd file a variation of the bill if 'lucky enough to come back next session.' As for this session, things can change, but Lowe said he doesn't see an appetite for that this time around. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Keller school board officially quashes plan to split district
At its May 15 meeting, the Keller school board adopted a resolution officially rejecting a proposal to divide the district, bringing to a close months of speculation and furor. The board also addressed budget challenges, and interim Superintendent Cory Wilson gave a dire warning about proposed school funding legislation in the Texas Senate. During the personnel portion of the meeting, the district extended a contract to popular Southlake principal Christina Benhoff. Two months ago, on March 14, school board President Charles Randklev informed the public that the plan to split the Keller district in half, using U.S. 377 as the dividing line, was off the table. At the time, Randklev cited financial hurdles for the decision not to proceed with the controversial move. The May 13 resolution reads, 'Now, let it be hereby resolved that the Keller Independent School District Board of Trustees hereby resolves that it shall not initiate the creation of a new district by detachment as set out in Section 13.103 of the Texas Education Code or through any further means.' Section 13.103 of the Texas Education Code allows for the creation of a new school district by detachment through one of two avenues: A school board resolution, or a petition to the county commissioners court signed by at least 10% of the registered voters in the area under consideration for detachment. The new-look board, with recently elected members Jennifer Erickson and Randy Campbell, voted unanimously to adopt the resolution on Thursday evening. The vote was met by applause from the audience. 'Some might think that this is a performative resolution,' said new board President John Birt. 'I assure you this is not performative. We recognize and know that this has been a stressful, contentious last few months, no question about it. But with this final action, this resolution, we put this matter to rest so we can all move forward as one district.' In his financial update, John Allison, Keller's chief operations officer, said the district was 'on track' to achieve a balanced budget this year, although Allison cautioned 'there are still a few months to go.' In January, an audit revealed a potential $9.4 million budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year. It also showed that Keller had lost $35 million from its general fund between 2021 and 2023. Keller has begun implementing staff cuts to alleviate financial constraints. Nearly 90% of Keller's expenditures are tied up in human capital, so it was critical to make reductions there, Allison said, pointing out that the district needs to cut 'tens of millions' from its budget. 'It's impacted our staff at every level,' Allison said of the staffing reductions. 'It's impacted our ability to provide services for our students.' The district previously said it would raise the student-teacher ratio by 0.5 at its middle and high schools. With district enrollment declining, Allison has said, that ratio will improve over time. Allison also said there were no plans to close or consolidate campuses, though he said it's 'a conversation we're going to have to begin to have, but not for the next academic year.' Allison speculated that the district would likely have to consider school closures in the fall because of declining enrollment. Interim Superintendent Cory Wilson talked about the status of Texas House Bill 2, an $8 billion school finance bill that passed in the House in April. It's now being considered in the Texas Senate, which has proposed its own version of the bill. The House version increases the basic allotment Texas school districts receive by $395 per pupil, from $6,160 to $6,555. The Senate version would only increase the allotment by $55 per student. Wilson said the $395 per-pupil increase would bring $11 million in much-needed additional funding to Keller. It would also bring $5.8 million for teacher and staff raises. 'It's not a perfect bill,' Wilson said, 'but it was a good bill.' Beyond the $55 per-student increase, the senate bill is largely ambiguous, Wilson said. Like its House companion, the Senate bill is valued at $8 billion, but unlike the House bill, the money would have stipulations. In light of all that, Wilson encouraged Keller residents to contact their legislators to urge them to pass House Bill 2 in its original form. Though the Senate version of the bill would guarantee $2,500 raises for teachers with three to four years of experience and $5,500 for teachers with five or more years, Wilson warned that Keller as a whole 'would be better off with nothing' than it would should that bill pass, citing the uncertainties around how the bulk of the funding could be used. Benhoff, principal at Southlake's Carroll High School, was confirmed as principal of Keller's Timber Creek High School beginning next year. Benhoff was one of two Southlake administrators, along with Carroll Senior High School Principal Ryan Wilson, who did not receive a contract renewal from Southlake Carroll. Southlake residents and students protested those moves at a May 6 school board meeting. Benhoff has been the principal at Carroll High School since 2022. Prior to that, she served as assistant principal at Carroll Senior High School. To begin the meeting, President John Birt welcomed Erickson and Campbell to the dais, and he welcomed back trustee Chelsea Kelly, who won re-election to her Place 3 seat on May 3. Birt went on to express his desire as president to 'minimize division,' and he dedicated himself to rebuilding Keller's reputation as a premier district in this area.
