A few dozen students at high schools in Keller walked out of class Friday over the district's proposal to split apart. Keller ISD says it is "addressing unprecedented financial challenges" by considering a plan to split into two.
Keller ISD's superintendent resigned last month. Tracy Johnson had taken the job in 2023 but described talk of a split as "a huge distraction. A distraction that’s not needed."
The district named Cory Wilson, assistant superintendent of educational services, interim superintendent last week. This week, Wilson drew criticism from some parents over a closed meeting he held with community groups.
Students walked out of high schools Friday morning, meeting outside a restaurant on Timberland Boulevard.
"Residents spoke out, parents spoke out, teachers risked their jobs to speak out," one student said. "Now, the final in the coffin, your students are taking this a step further. We walked out."
A student at Keller High School said students knew they were risking suspensions.
"Some of us are risking truancy status. I'm personally risking UIL eligibility to send a message," he said.
Some parents protested along with students.
"This is to break up public schools just like the voucher scam," one mother said.
"They have an extreme amount of debt. They want to offset that, and it's on the backs of lower income families working hard to go to a school district to get a quality education for their students," another parent said. "Parents want their students to go to a diverse school, and the split is absolutely a reflection of 'white flight.'"
Keller ISD has not responded to questions from KRLD about the walkout.
The district has posted frequently asked questions about the split on its website. Keller ISD says the split would lead to increased funding per student in Keller ISD, and the newly created district would not be subject to "recapture" payments, where "property-wealthy" districts provide a share of tax revenue to the state to be redistributed to "property-poor" districts.
"Should a reorganization take place, there would be limited changes to student assignments. The District’s priority would be to maintain stability and ensure a smooth transition. Generally, students would remain at their current campus or within the same feeder pattern," the district writes.
Keller ISD says it does not yet have a timeline to carry out the split.
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