Meeting Recaps

Keller ISD Community,

On October 24, Keller ISD’s Board of Trustees held its monthly Regular Meeting, strengthening the District’s security efforts through the renewal of a school resource officer agreement with the City of Fort Worth. You can click here to view the meeting in its entirety on Keller ISD’s YouTube channel.

Keller ISD’s agreement with Fort Worth maintains our current 12 SROs to protect schools within the city. The District also has agreements in place for SROs from Keller, Colleyville, and Southlake for six additional SROs and employs its own 17 campus security specialists and four mobile response officers. We are also in the process of hiring additional district-employed armed security officers to ensure every campus has an armed officer. You can listen to more about these safety efforts on our latest Study Hall Podcast.

The Board received an update from Keller ISD’s Curriculum and Instruction Department about the value of using MAP testing in grades K-8. MAP is an adaptive assessment administered multiple times throughout the year. The scores provide teachers with in-time data to track student progress not only across that school year but also from grade level to grade level and help identify academic intervention needs.

Trustees also approved the hire of the new principal of Early Learning Center South – Annah Bradshaw. Ms. Bradshaw has been serving as Assistant Principal at Keller-Harvel Elementary, and we’re excited about what her leadership will bring to ELC South.

Thank you for staying engaged as we work together as one to support Keller ISD students, teachers, and staff.

Dr. Charles Randklev
President
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson
Superintendent
Keller ISD

Keller ISD Community,  

KISD’s Board of Trustees held its monthly Regular Meeting on Thursday, September 26, approving a tax rate for the 2024-25 fiscal year of $1.0852 per $100 valuation, which is a reduction of 0.23 cents from last year and the lowest tax rate the district has seen since 1987. You can click here to view the presentation and discussion around that action item, and click here to view the full meeting on Keller ISD’s YouTube channel.  

Trustees approved a significant interlocal agreement with the City of Keller for school resource officers for the 2024-25 school year, which strengthens school safety and provides significant cost-savings to the District.  

The three-year agreement includes four Keller Police Department Officers: one at Keller High School, one at KCAL and Indian Springs Middle School, one at Keller Middle School and Keller Compass Center, and one at Bear Creek Intermediate School. It also codifies the campus patrol program, ensuring campuses within Keller are visited daily by Keller PD.  

This agreement saves Keller ISD 12.5% in personnel and 10.67% in equipment reimbursements as the city is doubling its cost-share with the District to provide SROs.  

We want to thank Mayor Armin Mizani, Mayor Pro Tem Ross McMullin, Police Chief Brad Fortune, and the City Council for working with KISD’s Board of Trustees and administrators to come to this agreement.  

Trustees approved a resolution refunding a series of bonds, resulting in potential debt service savings of $3,373,547. Keller ISD has saved more than $35 million through debt refunding over the last several years.  

The Board and administration were excited to welcome Traci Kraeszig to the role of Director of Special Education. Mrs. Kraeszig has been serving as Principal at KISD’s Early Learning Center South, so we’re looking forward to her bringing her on-campus experience to this new leadership role within the District’s Special Education Department.  

Lastly, Clayton Youth Enrichment, the District’s after-school enrichment program provider, and Keller Lions Club, a longtime supporter of Keller ISD schools provided information on how they serve the Keller ISD community.    

The Lions Club is currently hosting a coat drive for KISD students, and we encourage anyone who is interested to click here for additional information. They are accepting donations through November 2.  

Thank you for your continued support for Keller ISD and our outstanding students, teachers, and staff; and thank you for staying engaged with the work of KISD’s Board of Trustees.  

Dr. Charles Randklev  
President  
Keller ISD Board of Trustees 

Dr. Tracy Johnson  
Superintendent  
Keller ISD 

Keller ISD Community, 

The August 22, 2024, Board of Trustees Regular Meeting saw the Board approve polices focused on protecting the health and safety of our students and ensuring parents are involved in conversations regarding their child’s education, upbringing, and care. Click here to view the meeting in its entirety on Keller ISD’s YouTube channel.

The Board codified the district-led cell phone policy prohibiting the use of cell phones and other personal communication devices during the school day. The data is clear that cell phones and social media are addictive, contribute to mental health issues, and are a disruption to the learning environment. The district-led phone policy addresses these issues by re-establishing a healthy, safe, and positive learning environment.

Trustees approved a “parental rights policy” that recognizes and protects the fundamental rights of parents to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of their children. Parents matter, and this policy will ensure they have a seat at the table when it comes to their child's education.

The Board and District received an important update on medical plan options for the 2025 Medical Plan Year. Districts across Texas are seeing higher health insurance costs, and proposed changes to the Keller ISD’s medical plan are designed to protect our staff from rising premiums. The District has surveyed employees to determine which plan our educators would prefer and is currently conducting a final survey to collect additional feedback.

Trustees reluctantly approved an agreement to purchase attendance credits from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in the amount of $3.4 million. According to TEA, school districts can make their necessary recapture payments by purchasing attendance credits from the state. As a reminder, recapture (i.e., “Robin Hood”) removes local property tax dollars from public school districts and is increasingly used to fund other areas of the state budget besides education. In fact, last year the state collected nearly $5 billion from 160 school districts in Texas, making it one of the largest sources of revenue for the state.

Last year, the Board passed a resolution highlighting the need for increased transparency and accountability in recapture (i.e., Robin Hood), which at that time had taken about $2.5 million out of our District. The resolution was part of the Board and District’s larger discussion about increasing school funding and making sure school tax revenue is spent on schools.

In addition to highlighting the Board's action, we want to congratulate Keller ISD's Heart at Work Employee of the Month for the summer, Business Specialist Amber McMillan, who we recognized Thursday. Thank you, Amber, for all that you do to serve our constructions services team.

We also want to thank Jonathan Bryce for taking time Thursday to share about All Pro Dad, an organization that is focused on getting dads more involved on campuses and in their own child’s life.

The school year has gotten off to a terrific start and we are very excited about everything our students will achieve.

Dr. Charles Randklev
President 
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson 
Superintendent 
Keller ISD

Keller ISD Community,

KISD’s Board of Trustees held two meetings last week – a Special Meeting on Wednesday, July 24, and its monthly Regular Meeting on July 25. Wednesday’s Special Meeting was held strictly to interview candidates for the vacant Place 3 on the Board. Both meetings are available to view in their entirety on Keller ISD’s YouTube channel by clicking here.

The Board received five applications for the vacant Place 3 seat prior to the deadline on June 30, and two of those applicants were able to attend the July 24 Special Meeting to be interviewed by the Board – Chelsea Kelly and James Dunn. We appreciate all the candidates who took the time to apply and express their interest in the position, and we thank Mrs. Kelly and Mr. Dunn for going through the interview process.

At Thursday’s meeting, we appointed Cheslea Kelly to fill the rest of the Place 3 term, which will be up for election next spring. Mrs. Kelly will be sworn in at a future meeting so that she can begin serving our community, and we look forward to working alongside her.

As shared ahead of the Regular Meeting, Trustees previewed several important policies, including a “parental rights policy” that empowers parents and codifies their role as the main decision-makers for their children’s education as well as for their children’s upbringing, moral values, and care.

Superintendent Dr. Johnson also introduced a plan for a phone-free learning environment that administrators plan to implement ahead of the upcoming school district. Cell phones distract students from learning, cause anxiety, and allow for bullying. The data shows that academic performance is inversely related to cell phone use and that rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide have skyrocketed among adolescents, and the available evidence points to smartphones.

This district-led policy builds on past Keller ISD policies, prohibiting cell phone use during instructional time but adds definitive expectations for violations of the policy that will help ensure it is implemented equitably across the school district. We understand students and many parents have questions about what this policy will look like and concerns about staying connected with their students throughout the school day. The District will host a Discussion Panel on the new policy at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 7, and we encourage families to attend and look for more information to be shared on KellerISD.net in the coming weeks.

Keller ISD’s Safety and Security Department shared an important update on upgraded security protocols that students, staff, and families can expect for the new school year. In addition to several measures and building enhancements to make our campuses more secure, the District will be hiring armed security guards to be placed at strategic campuses that do not currently have a school resource officer on the premises. We know that in a security situation, seconds matter, and so these strategic placements will help reduce response times for such instances.

Lastly, another part of our preparations for the new school year involves fielding committees of individuals who are invested in the success of Keller ISD and want to find a place to serve at a district-level. To compile these committees, we are taking applications from people who want to show that they are serious and willing to commit to the work of providing guidance for the Board and administration. You can click here to apply now through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, August 4, expressing your interest in serving on any of these committees.

Thursday’s meeting was full of critical information and discussion as we work together as one for the success of all of Keller ISD. We would highly encourage you to view the meeting if you haven’t already. The work of the Board and KISD’s administrative team will only ramp up from here as we get closer to the start of the school year. Until that time, we hope all our students enjoy the remaining weeks of the Summer Break and are getting excited for the start of what is sure to be an exceptional school year.

Dr. Charles Randklev 
President 
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson 
Superintendent 
Keller ISD

KISD Community,

The Board of Trustees’ monthly Regular Meeting on June 20, 2024, saw the Board approve Keller ISD’s budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, adopt a resolution condemning the Biden Administration for its attempt to weaponize Title IX against girls and women, and recognize the Central High One-Act Play cast and crew for their second-place finish at State, as well as highlight our State-qualifying Special Olympics athletes. You can watch the entirety of the meeting on Keller ISD’s YouTube channel by clicking here.

The Board approved a balanced budget for 2024-25 fiscal year in the face of inflationary double-digit price increases, stagnant state funding, new legislative mandates, and historically challenging fiscal management practices without eliminating any student programs or firing any employees.

The adopted balanced budget aligns the District’s expenditures and revenue through zero-based budgeting, reductions in central administration, and rethinking and improving planning, budgeting, and forecasting.

The Board applauds the efforts by central administration that went into creating this historic budget at every level. We know Keller ISD is going to be in a better financial position because of this work, and we will continue to advocate for adequate funding from the state level. As a reminder, you can join us in those efforts by visiting SaveKellerISD.net and utilizing the advocacy resources available there.

The Board also adopted a resolution opposing proposed changes to Title IX by the U.S. Department of Education. Title IX was enacted in 1972, to protect students from discrimination based on sex, as it relates to educational programs and activities that receive federal funding.

The changes proposed by the Biden administration would redefine “sex” to include “gender identity,” which would effectively strip girls and women of the legal protections Title IX was intended to afford them. This would force schools to allow biological males to participate in girls and women’s sports, use their locker rooms, and other sex-specific spaces. Through this adopted resolution, the Board joins state leaders in denouncing these changes. You can click here to read the full resolution.

Lastly, the Board announced its plans for filling the vacancy for the Place 3 seat on the Board. Because the vacancy occurred after the filing period for this year's school board election along with the expense of holding a special election, the Board will appoint someone to fill that seat. Individuals who are interested can submit their applications online but need to do so by June 30. Click here for additional information and to fill out an application.

As a reminder, Keller ISD will be closed the week of July 1. We hope everyone continues to have a fun and restful Summer Break as preparations move forward for the 2024-25 school year.

Dr. Charles Randklev 
President 
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson 
Superintendent 
Keller ISD

Keller ISD Community,

The May 20, 2024, Board of Trustees Regular Meeting saw the Board take continued action in our efforts to urge state leaders to address the funding crisis in Texas public schools. You can watch the entirety of the meeting on Keller ISD’s YouTube channel by clicking here.

Trustees unanimously adopted a resolution calling for Governor Abbott and the Texas Legislature to increase the basic allotment to provide much-needed pay raises for teachers and staff and address inflationary cost pressures.

The Governor’s own Teacher Vacancy Task Force in 2023 identified lack of pay as the primary factor contributing to educators and staff leaving the field. However, despite entering last year’s legislative session with a historic $32.7 billion budget surplus, the state failed to increase the basic allotment throughout the regular session or four subsequent special sessions.

An increase of more than $1,000 is needed to account for historic inflationary increases and underfunded mandates. That would be an approximately $5 billion investment, but one the state can easily afford given the state’s historic budget surplus.

This is the fourth resolution the Board has adopted in the past year respectfully asking state leaders to address public school funding. You can find these resolutions and other legislative information on the District's website at www.KellerISD.net/LegislativeUpdates.

We invite you to join us in these efforts through the latest version of our SaveKellerISD.net webpage. The page includes an updated form to email your respective representatives and urge them to increase the basic allotment, along with a new feature that will allow you to call your representatives. The call feature provides you with an easy-to-follow phone script, as we know that making your voice heard over the phone to your representatives’ staff is key to encouraging movement on these issues.

Thank you for staying engaged in this process and advocating for Keller ISD schools.

We also want to thank everyone who attended Monday’s meeting, especially all who joined us to celebrate so many amazing student achievements in Athletics, CTE, and Fine Arts. A special thank you to the students from Keller High School who joined us to talk about their project in which they wrote biographies for World War II veterans ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

We were also excited to hear from the Timber Creek High School Chapter of the Interact Club, an organization that works with the Golden Triangle Rotary Club to serve others locally and across the globe.

It’s incredible to see all of the opportunities our students have and all that they are able to accomplish year after year. We know that none of it is possible without the efforts of our exceptional teachers and staff, dedicated families, and supportive community.

We hope our students, families, and teachers have a fun and restful summer, and we want to congratulate the Class of 2024 on finishing high school and your upcoming graduation. The Board of Trustees and District administrators will continue working throughout the summer months to ensure that our schools are prepared for the 2024-25 school year, and we look forward to welcoming kids back to class in August.

Dr. Charles Randklev
President 
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson
Superintendent 
Keller ISD

Keller ISD Community,

The Keller ISD Board of Trustees held its monthly Regular Meeting on Thursday, April 25, which focused on protecting our Basswood Elementary community, school finance, and celebrating our amazing students and educators. You can watch the entirety of the meeting on Keller ISD’s YouTube channel by clicking here.

The Board took action on Thursday to protect our Basswood Elementary community. An extended stay hotel was being developed adjacent to the school, which was a surprise to the Board, District and community.

Once properly notified, the Board of Trustees and District acted quickly to reach an agreement with the developer that protects our Basswood Elementary students, staff, and families. The action taken by the Board allows the District to purchase the lot for $3.2 million, with a potential cost share with the City of Fort Worth. This is a one-time cost, and will not impact our students, staff, or budget deficit.

Chief Operations Officer John Allison delivered a report to Trustees on school finance and the administration’s progress toward developing a balanced budget.

As a reminder, the District is facing a historic $27 million budget deficit because Austin refused to spend any of the state’s unprecedented $40 billion budget surplus on local education. This deficit is rooted in exploding inflationary costs (more than 17%), underfunded mandates, and a state funding formula that has not been updated since 2019.

To put it very simply, the state chose not to fund public education despite having a $40 billion budget surplus, which put our district – and as a result, our students and teachers – in financial jeopardy.

Despite inaction by Austin, the Board and KISD leadership have been proactive. Last year, we adopted a balanced budget that provided $17 million in cost-savings to the District. The administration focused first on finding efficiencies in central office, resulting in approximately $3.8 million savings. The Board and district leadership also made multiple trips to Austin to advocate for funding for Keller ISD.

Mr. Allison’s report included an update on the District’s plan to address the budget shortfall caused by Austin, which includes additional central office reductions of more than $4 million, zero-based budgeting, centralized purchasing, and providing programing and instructional support based on student interest, student need, and guided by student performance data.

Keller ISD is a destination of excellence, and the District’s plan will ensure that it remains that way for all students by focusing on student outcomes and supporting our educators, all while protecting the long-term financial solvency of Keller ISD.

The District’s excellence was on full display at Thursday’s meeting as we had the honor of recognizing 24 graduating seniors that have made the brave decision to serve our country in the United States Military. We also celebrated the amazing achievements of some of our State PTA Reflections qualifiers, our state-qualifying Academic Decathlon teams from Fossil Ridge and Keller High.

We know that we will continue to see great things happen as we work together as one for the success of all. The Board’s next Regular Meeting will be held on Monday, May 20, moved from the original Thursday date to avoid conflicting with the Keller Compass Center Graduation.

Thank you for your continued engagement as we cultivate learners, inspire leaders, and build a community of excellence.

Dr. Charles Randklev 
President 
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson 
Superintendent 
Keller ISD

Keller ISD Community, 

The Keller ISD Board of Trustees held its monthly Regular Meeting on Thursday, March 28, which focused on academic growth of our students and the District’s new science instructional materials selection. You can watch the entirety of the meeting on Keller ISD’s YouTube channel by clicking here.

Keller ISD has so many amazing students and employees, and we were excited to celebrate just a few of them Thursday, including 50 student-athletes who recently competed at the state level and our monthly employee award recipients.

The Board heard an encouraging report from Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Jennifer Price, about student academic progress. Looking at MAP results from K-8 math, the District saw growth at every grade level. For those not familiar with MAP, it is an adaptive assessment tool our schools use to track student progress throughout the school year. While reviewing math progress, she also shared about the success of the District’s unique hybrid math program, which has allowed qualifying students to take advanced math courses.

Trustees voted unanimously to approve the District’s science instructional material recommendation – SAVVAS Kindergarten-Physics: Experience Science and the teacher additions of McGraw Hill Kindergarten-Biology. The selection was the result of nearly a year of planning by the KISD Curriculum and Instruction team, months of feedback and review from District science teachers, and community feedback through several public review sessions.

Keller ISD is facing a $27 million budget deficit due to the Texas Legislature’s failure to support public education. The state had a surplus of more than $30 billion and chose not to spend a single penny to address inflationary costs (which have increased by 17%), provide pay raises to our hard-working educators (the only state employee group that did not receive raises this year), adequately address safety and security of school campuses, and properly fund much-need programs like Special Education.

The District held a budget workshop on March 21 to provide an update on the District’s financial outlook for 2024-2025. You can click here to view a recording of that session. Dr. Johnson answered questions about the District’s plan to address the historic budget crisis, and she reiterated the District and Board’s unwavering commitment to KISD staff and providing an exceptional education for all students.

We also look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Saturday, April 6, as we all join together for The Big Event – a one-day, district-wide service project. Parents and students should have received information from their respective campuses about what projects their school has planned. For more information, be sure to visit www.KellerISD.net/TheBigEvent. 

As a reminder, the next Regular Meeting of the KISD Board of Trustees will be on Thursday, April 25. Thank you for your continued support of Keller ISD students and for staying engaged in the business of caring for our community’s future leaders. 

Dr. Charles Randklev
President 
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson 
Superintendent 
Keller ISD

Keller ISD Community,

We want to thank everyone who attended Thursday evening’s Board of Trustees meeting. For those who couldn’t attend the meeting in person or via the live-streaming video, we wanted to share just a few highlights.

Keller ISD has so many amazing students and employees, and we were excited to celebrate just a few of them Thursday. We honored Keller High’s Jeff Simpson, our Monthly Heart at Work Employee of the Month; Bear Creek Intermediate’s Dawn Arrington, our Innovative Teachers Inspiring Students (IT’S) Award Winner; PEIMS Analyst Stephanie Skinner, our HR Hero Award Winner; and Linda Renfro, this month’s Substitute Spotlight Recipient. We also celebrated our National Merit Finalists, TMEA All-State Band and Choir musicians, and the back-to-back State Champion Keller ISD Unified Sparkle Cheer team.

The Board approved Ramsey Branch, currently an Assistant Principal at Keller High School, as the next Principal at Keller Middle School. His leadership experience and passion for student excellence make him an excellent choice. Please join us in welcoming him to his new role in Keller ISD.

During the evening’s reports, we had the opportunity to learn about the District’s truancy mitigation efforts, and specifically a partnership with the firm Payton, Nix & Associates. This partnership is important because there is a direct correlation between attendance and improved academics, improved peer relations and self-esteem, and better post-secondary outcomes for students. This firm will assist in identifying individual truancy issues and work alongside families to help students attend school regularly.

As you’ve likely seen on social media and in the news, more and more school districts are announcing budget deficits due to the inaction by state lawmakers. Our district is facing a historic $27 million budget deficit, which is rooted in exploding inflationary costs (more than 17%), underfunded mandates, and a state funding formula that has not been updated since 2019.

Austin is currently sitting on a $40 billion budget surplus, which is larger than the budgets of 24 states. Of this surplus, only $5 billion is needed to address inflationary pressures and fix an outdated funding formula that is negatively impacting districts across the state.

The District remains steadfast in its efforts to find a path towards a balanced budget to ensure Keller ISD remains a destination of excellence and is financially solvent for years to come. Please stay tuned for future updates and information about upcoming budget symposiums.

Great schools make great communities, and we continue to see this in Keller ISD. From efforts to care for students and families experiencing tragedy, to students and teachers looking for ways to provide supplies to those in need, to everyone who came out to the Keller Council of PTAs’ Casey’s Kids Fun Run/5K this past weekend, we know that we are all working as one for the success of all.

Dr. Charles Randklev
President 
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson 
Superintendent 
Keller ISD

Keller ISD Community,

Our district is facing a historic $27 million budget deficit because Austin has refused to spend any of the state’s historic $40 billion budget surplus on local education. This deficit is rooted in exploding inflationary costs (more than 17%), underfunded mandates, and a state funding formula that has not been updated since 2019.

To put it very simply, the state chose not to fund public education despite having a $40 billion budget surplus, which put our district – and as a result our students and teachers – in financial jeopardy.

Despite inaction by Austin, the Board and district leadership have been proactive. Last year, we adopted a balanced budget that provided $17 million in cost-savings to the District. The administration focused first on finding efficiencies in central office, resulting in approximately $3.8 million savings.

The Board and district leadership also made multiple trips to Austin to advocate for funding for Keller ISD. We created a budget and finance committee comprised of community members to provide guidance and feedback on the budget.

The plan shared on Thursday night is a continuation of our ongoing, collective efforts over the past two years to get Keller ISD’s budget back on track. Given the magnitude of this challenge, every part of our community will have to help. The main sources for additional savings will be: 

• Additional central office reductions of more than $4 million, which is almost $8 million over the past two years;
• Implementing zero-based budgeting and centralizing purchasing, which means we will balance our budget and buy essential items like most people with their personal finances, and we will save money by doing so; 
• Providing instructional support based on student interest, student need, and guided by student performance data; 
• Streamlining staffing guidelines across the district for athletics, fine arts, and CTE programs; 
• Improving co-curricular activities to include physical education, music, art, STEM, and theatre – making sure programming is available to all campuses.  
• Implementing traditional block schedules, with high school and middle school teachers teaching the normal seven classes of eight periods (instead of six of eight class periods); and
• Identifying a new location for the Keller Collegiate Academy.

Keller ISD is a destination of excellence, and the plan shared by the administration on Thursday will ensure that it remains that way for all students by focusing on student outcomes and supporting our educators, all while protecting the long-term financial solvency of Keller ISD.

We promise to continue sharing information as we are able, and the administration is working with campus leaders to make the budgeting process as smooth as possible for our students and educators.

Thank you to all of our excellent educators and amazing students for continuing to shine in the midst of this current budget challenge and thank you to all of our families for continuing to support our schools and staff members. We are confident that the Keller ISD community will continue to rise to the occasion. 

Dr. Charles Randklev
President
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson
Superintendent
Keller ISD

Dear Keller ISD Community,  

Keller ISD is facing a $27 million budget deficit due to the Texas Legislature’s failure to support public education. The state had a surplus of more than $30 billion and chose not to spend a single penny to address inflationary costs (which have increased by 17%), provide pay raises to our hard-working educators (the only state employee group that did not receive raises this year), adequately address safety and security of school campuses, and properly fund much-need programs like Special Education.

The KISD Board of Trustees held a Special Meeting for a Budget Workshop on Thursday evening, January 11. The administration provided an update on the District’s financial outlook for the 2024-25 fiscal year. You can click here to watch the Workshop in its entirety

At the Budget Workshop, Keller ISD’s new superintendent, Dr. Tracy Johnson, updated the community and the Board about how the administration is approaching this challenge, along with the District’s unwavering commitment to continue providing an exceptional education for all students. Keller ISD is united, and we will use this historic budget crisis as an opportunity for innovation. The School Board and District are committed to:

• Ensuring Excellent Opportunities for Student Academic Success
• Providing and Maintaining Student Programming
• Supporting KISD’s Amazing Educators
• Ensuring the Safety and Security of KISD Campuses for All KISD Students
• Protecting the Interests of Taxpayers by Passing a Balanced Budget
• Using this Historic Budget Crisis as an Opportunity for Innovation

Over the next two weeks, District leaders will be working directly with campus and district-level administrators to look at new ways to continue offering exceptional learning opportunities and impactful instruction in Keller ISD. The plan is to then share additional updates at the Board’s Regular Meeting on January 25.

We need our state lawmakers to rise the occasion and we will continue to encourage and challenge them to do so. Keller ISD is an exceptional district with exceptional people, and we are going to get through this challenge together.

As a reminder, please visit www.SaveKellerISD.net to send a quick message to Governor Abbott, encouraging him to call a fifth special session to fund Texas public schools.

Thank you for continuing to stay engaged and please make sure to visit www.KellerISD.net/BudgetUpdates to find all of the latest budget information.

Dr. Charles Randklev
President
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson
Superintendent
Keller ISD

Keller ISD Family,

Happy New Year and welcome to Keller ISD’s spring semester!

We are starting 2024 off with some exciting news. For starters, we have officially welcomed Dr. Tracy Johnson to her role as Superintendent, after she was hired in late December and formally began in her new position on Tuesday.

Also, the Board of Trustees held a Special Board Meeting on Wednesday morning to consider what to do with the vacant Place 7 seat on the Board, and Trustees voted unanimously to appoint KISD parent Heather Washington to the position.

Heather is the mother of two Keller ISD students and she and her husband David have lived in Keller ISD for 16 years. Her family attends Keller United Methodist Church and love volunteering to serve their community in many capacities. 

She brings with her extensive experience in the District, the PTA, long-standing support of scouts, and educational leadership through Keller 4H, and the Board is confident that she will be an excellent addition. She is committed to our students, our excellent teachers, and our amazing parents.

Trustee Washington will immediately begin her duties as a member of the Board, and we look forward to working with her in our focus to keep Keller ISD a district of excellence.

As we have been sharing information about Texas public school funding and Keller ISD’s 2024-25 budgeting process, we wanted to remind you of a few upcoming discussions on the subject. First, we have another educational opportunity we’re calling Community Budget Education Seminar 201 set for 6 p.m. Thursday, January 4, at the KISD Education Center. This will be a follow-up to a similar event that former Interim Superintendent John Allison hosted in November. You can click here to review video from that event, if you have not already.

The Board will also hold a Budget Workshop at 5 p.m. Thursday, January 11, at the Education Center. During the meeting, Trustees will review the latest information on the 2024-25 budget outlook and efforts to compile a balanced budget despite continuing increases in operational costs and yet another year with no increase to the state’s basic funding allotment.

As these discussions continue, we will be sure to bring you further updates to keep you informed. Thank you for all that you do to support Keller ISD and our efforts to provide exceptional learning opportunities for students.

Dr. Charles Randklev 
President 
Keller ISD Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracy Johnson
Superintendent 
Keller ISD 

Keller ISD Community, 

The Board of Trustees met for its monthly Regular Meeting on Monday evening, December 11, to consider two action items: (1) approval of the 2024-25 Instructional Calendar; and (2) a resolution affirming the District’s practice to allow chaplains in schools in their current capacity as visitors or volunteers. The resolution was required to be considered in order for the District to comply with Senate Bill 763, passed by the State Legislature last spring. A public hearing was also held on the findings of Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) audit, a requirement by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).  

On this year’s FIRST audit, Keller ISD received a 74 out of a possible 100 – or a “Meets Standard” rating – comparable to last year’s mark. Keller ISD would have scored higher had it not been penalized for its reliance on fund balance to cover underfunded state mandates, inflation, and budget shortfalls, all resulting from inadequate funding from the state.

As friendly reminder, the state entered its 88th Legislative Session with a historic $32.7 billion budget surplus, but lawmakers failed to use this funding to properly address these issues or provide much needed pay raises for educators. Because of this, Keller ISD, along with other districts throughout the state, are increasingly reliant on reserved funds to account for lack of state support.

We recently hosted a Community Budget Education Seminar to share with the community how inaction in Austin has led to KISD’s current budget shortfall, and actions District stakeholders can take to reach out to elected representatives and implore them to make public education funding a priority. Click here to view that seminar, if you haven’t already. 

We are also scheduling a follow-up Budget Seminar for Thursday, January 4, to provide more information as our 2024-25 budgeting process continues. Please be on the lookout for more details about that in the coming days.

Trustees voted on the 2024-25 Instructional Calendar, which was previewed during November’s meeting. The calendar closely mirrors this year’s calendar, with the addition of Student Holidays on October 11, 2024 – which will be a holiday for all students, not just elementary-level students as previously considered – and November 5, 2024, as many of our campuses are expected to be used by Tarrant County as election polling sites. 

The week-long Fall Break will return, and will open with a Student Holiday on Friday, October 11, 2024. That day is being set aside for teachers to schedule parent conferences. The 2024-25 school year is scheduled to start on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, and wrap up on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

The Board approved a resolution affirming the District’s practice to allow chaplains in schools in their current capacity as visitors or volunteers. This resolution was considered to comply with Senate Bill 763, passed by the State Legislature last spring. The new law requires all districts in Texas to record a vote as to whether to authorize schools to accept chaplains as volunteers. Even districts like Keller ISD that already allow chaplains to volunteer at schools are required to take a vote. 

There has been some misinformation surrounding this action item, but just to be perfectly clear – this resolution does not authorize chaplains to fulfill the role of any Keller ISD employee, including school counselors. It simply puts the District in compliance with SB 763 by taking a recording vote affirming the District’s current practice that chaplains have the same right to volunteer as non-chaplains in our schools, provided they meet KISD policies and practices to serve in such a capacity.

Also on Monday, we were excited to recognize this month’s Heart at Work Employee of the Month, Keli Garrett from Timberview Middle School; this month’s Innovative Teacher Inspiring Students Award Winner, Louis Vazquez; the drum majors and color guard captains from our state-qualifying marching bands at Keller High and Timber Creek High; and the winner and two finalists from this year’s KISD Elementary Holiday Card Contest.

A special thank you, as well, to the students from Basswood Elementary School who led us in the pledges of allegiance, and the first-graders from Willis Lane Elementary School who opened the meeting with some holiday cheer, singing songs from their winter performance.

Thank you for staying engaged in Keller ISD and have a wonderful Winter Break!

Dr. Charles Randklev
Board of Trustees President
Keller ISD

John Allison
Interim Superintendent 
Keller ISD

Keller ISD Employees, 

The Board of Trustees met for its monthly Regular Meeting on Monday, November 13, taking action on several key pieces of business, previewing the 2024-25 Instructional Calendar, and hearing a few important reports, including one on the outlook of the district’s 2024-25 budget. As always, you can view the full meeting by visiting Keller ISD’s YouTube Channel. 

We were excited to open the meeting by honoring Keller High runners Clare Boneau and Bridger Bowcutt, both of whom qualified for the recent UIL Class 6A State Cross Country Championships and represented Keller ISD well. We also recognized our school nursing staff for the efforts they put forth each and every day to care for our students. 

The evening’s action items were highlighted by the Board approving the purchase of security film that will provide a layer of protection for strategically selected building windows, prolonging the time for a forced entry and protecting building occupants from flying debris in the event of severe weather. Trustees also approved a resolution directing the defeasance and/or redemption of a portion of the District’s unlimited tax refunding bonds, Series 2020A. While they may not mean a lot to most outside of the financial world, the step is expected to result in debt savings of an estimated $1.8 million. Over the last five years, Keller ISD has saved more than $33 million through debt refunding. 

Trustees had the opportunity to preview a draft of the 2024-25 Instructional Calendar. The draft has school starting on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, and ending on Thursday, May 22, 2025. It includes most of the same student holidays as the current calendar, but adds in a Student Holiday/Teacher Prep Day on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, considering that many of our campuses will likely be used as Election Day polling locations by Tarrant County. You can click here to view a draft of the calendar, which will be taken back to the Calendar Committee for additional feedback before a final version is presented to the Board for consideration in December. 

The Board also heard two reports, the first regarding the District’s plans to utilize the Teacher Incentive Allotment to identify and reward highly effective teachers with enhanced salary potential. The second report provided an outlook on Keller ISD’s 2024-25 budget, sharing how an imperfect storm of inflation, underfunded mandates, flattening enrollment and student attendance, and an insufficient and complex state funding formula have all put Keller ISD in a situation where our expenses are expected to outpace our revenue by more than $27 million, and that’s after cutting more than $17 million from the budget last year. We would highly recommend viewing the presentation in its entirety, and you can click here for a link directly to that portion of the meeting. 

As you may know, our legislature has convened for a fourth special session after failing to come to an agreement regarding school funding during the recently concluded third special session. School finance is once again on the agenda, and our legislators have the opportunity to provide funding to Texas public schools, where it is desperately needed. 

Like many districts in Texas, we are facing a critical situation with our budget due to a lack of state funding. Despite record inflation, the state has not increased the amount of funding given to schools since 2019. With an increase in costs across the board for everything from utilities, to insurance, to fuel, this lack of funding is unsustainable. 

For the time being, our team of financial experts is looking for every possible solution to create efficiencies in our budget that will have the least impact on our classrooms and students. Even still, we need the state to do its part. 

The state of Texas has a record budget surplus, a portion of which has already been set aside for public school funding. However, without legislation, those funds still sit in limbo. Please contact your legislators and ask them to pass a school funding bill during this fourth special session that would: 

• Increase the basic allotment to account for inflation (from $6,160 to $7,200); 
• Provide for permanent teacher raises – not one-time stipends that leave the burden of continuing to provide for increased salaries on our schools (much like what happened in 2019); 
• Provide funding for safety and technology mandates; 
• Increase funding for special education and other special programs; 
• Switch from funding based on average daily attendance to enrollment-based funding; and
• Provided standardized testing flexibility. 

Without expedient help from the state, Keller ISD is at risk of making some tough decisions in order to maintain our current baseline of operations. You can help by visiting SaveKellerISD.net and filling out a brief form that will notify your elected representatives that you want them to prioritize adequate funding for public schools. Those interested in learning more about Texas public school finance and Keller ISD’s budget situation are invited to attend a Community Budget Education Forum at 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 29, at the Keller ISD Education Center. 

While it’s important to prepare for the reality that our district will face over the coming months, we also want to encourage you not to let these changes distract from our mission to educate, inspire, and challenge our students in preparing them for the future. This district has faced similar challenges in the past, and just as before, we know that our dedicated educators and support staff will persevere and do all that it takes to provide intentionally exceptional learning opportunities for our students. Providing public schools with adequate funding may not be a priority for our elected officials, but we know that our students deserve better, and we will continue to do all that we can to give them the educational experience that they deserve. 

We will continue to keep you informed moving forward, and we thank you for all that you do for the students of Keller ISD. 

Dr. Charles Randklev
President
Keller ISD Board of Trustees  

John Allison 
Interim Superintendent 
Keller ISD 

Keller ISD Families,  

We hope everyone enjoyed their Fall Break. The Board of Trustees held its monthly Regular Meeting on Monday, October 23, approving an agreement with the City of Fort Worth for school resource officers and recognizing several Keller ISD partners.   

The agreement with Fort Worth includes 12 school resource officers assigned to Keller ISD schools – two each at Central, Fossil Ridge, and Timber Creek high schools; one each at Fossil Hill, Hillwood, Timberview, Trinity Springs, and Vista Ridge middle schools; and one mobile SRO. The contract cost for Keller ISD increased by $12,360 this year, for $1,330,674. 

In addition to SROs, the City of Fort Worth has increased officer patrols near campuses daily in an effort to heighten police presence, strengthen relationships between officers and campus communities, and further familiarize officers with campus layouts so that they can be more effective in the event of an emergency. A similar program exists for campuses within Keller’s city limits.  

Trustees also received several presentations on groups and programming that support our students, educators, and parents. Heather Washington, speaking on behalf of Keller 4-H (www.facebook.com/keller4hclub/), shared how their club is the largest in Tarrant County and provides amazing leadership opportunities to area students.  

Keller Council of PTAs President Adeline Castleberry talked about the critical role that campus PTAs play in supporting and advocating for our schools and opportunities for parents to support their child's campus. More information about Keller PTAs can be found here at www.KellerISD.net/PTA. 

Kelly McCormack from Lone Star Elementary shared that her campus is the only elementary school in Texas designated as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School. The Unified Champion School program promotes social inclusion through intentionally planned and implemented activities. McCormack also shared how she’s encouraging other schools to consider pursuing the designation to increase the inclusion of all students.  

The Board also heard from Chief Human Resources Officer Tracy Johnson, who provided a staffing update. She shared how all general classroom teaching vacancies are filled and that the District’s teacher turnover rate remains at 7.8%, which is significantly lower than the state and region.   

She also shared statistics on the most recent group of new hires, which included 37 new employees who had graduated from Keller ISD schools, and 77 new employees who were referred by current employees, demonstrating that KISD continues to be a destination district for educators and staff.  

We also saw the recognition of several student achievements. The Board recognized Keller High swimmers Maximums Williamson and Cooper Lucas, who recently competed for Team USA at the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships.  

Trustees also honored this year’s College Board National Recognition Program Scholars. More than 100 Keller ISD students earned the titles of National Hispanic Scholar, National African American Scholar, or National Indigenous Scholar for their performance on AP, PSAT/NMSQT, and PSAT 10 exams and also maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher.  

Central High Sub Coordinator Sui Robinson was recognized as the October 2023 Keller ISD Heart at Work Employee of the Month. Shady Grove Elementary third-grade teacher Shanda Stair earned the October Innovative Teachers Inspiring Students (or IT’S) Award.  

We also celebrated District custodial staff, recognizing the head custodian at each of our campuses and facilities. No one in Keller ISD could succeed without the work they do day in and day out. They not only make sure our campuses look great, but they also get to know our students and educators and truly support them.  

Please visit Keller ISD’s YouTube channel to view the meeting in its entirety. 

Be sure to keep an eye on Keller ISD’s Superintendent Search page at www.KellerISD.net/SuperSearch for the latest updates on the process for KISD’s next leader. With the Thanksgiving Break coming up November 20-24, the next Regular Board Meeting is only three weeks away – Monday, November 13.

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles Randklev
Board of Trustees President
Keller ISD 

John Allison 
Interim Superintendent
Keller ISD 

Keller ISD Families,

The Keller ISD Board of Trustees held its monthly Regular Meeting on Monday and took action to advocate for an accountability system that reflects the genuine hard work of our students and teachers.

Keller ISD now joins more than 95 school districts across the state in litigation challenging the Texas Education Agencies (TEA) failure to provide Texas school districts with advanced notice of the measures, methods, and procedures to be used in assigning A-F school grades for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school year.

Our district supports high academic standards, but students and staff need to know what those standards are prior to taking the state standardized tests. Retroactively applying the new standards to last year’s data and changing the assessment system without giving our educators notice before the school year starts on what the new standards are creates a situation that undermines classroom success.

The Board and District also celebrated a number of district-wide achievements, including students, staff and PTA from Lone Star Elementary who helped organize a recent Patriot Day Program and Timber Creek sophomore Dre Parker, who recently won a national championship in archery.

We also recognized our September Heart at Work Employee of the Month Shannon Phipps from Friendship Elementary, and September Innovative Teacher Inspiring Students (or IT’S) Award winners, Lindsey Potocki and Haley Noyes from KISD Early Learning Center South.

The Board and District also received several important updates, including the Big Event, which is a district-wide service day coming up on April 6, 2024, and a report from the Keller Youth Association on the amazing work they do for our students and their upcoming 50th year anniversary celebration on Saturday.

Keller ISD Safety and Security Director Michael Hoffman shared how his team is maintaining a secure environment through principles of access control, physical, security, training and programs, and working with city partners to increase police presence.

The final report presented to the Board involved the District’s STAAR and EOC results from last spring. The results show that Keller ISD continues to exceed state averages anywhere from about 7% to 25%, depending on content area. The District saw most improvement in Math, Reading Language Arts, and Social Studies, with student performance approaching pre-pandemic levels. Science remains an area we need to improve in, and the Board and District are looking at opportunities to expand STEAM programing district wide.

Lastly, the Board, at a special board meeting earlier this month, passed a resolution highlighting the need for increased transparency and accountability in recapture (i.e., Robin Hood), which has taken needed revenue of about $2.5 million out of our District. This resolution is part of the Board and District’s larger discussion about increasing school funding and making sure school tax revenue is spent on schools.

Related to recapture, Governor Abbott has called for a special session to address school funding in October. The Board and District encourage Keller ISD families and employees to start reaching out to state lawmakers representing Keller ISD to support increasing the basic allotment.

State legislators representing Keller ISD include:

Senator Kelly Hancock (Dist. 9) 
kelly.hancock@senate.texas.gov
512-463-0109

Representative Stephanie Klick (Dist. 91) 
stephanie.klick@house.texas.gov
512-463-0599

Representative Nate Schatzline (Dist. 93) 
nate.schatzline@house.texas.gov
512-463-0562

Representative Giovanni Capriglione (Dist. 98) 
giovanni.capriglione@house.texas.gov
512-463-0690

More information regarding the need for school funding, the Board and District legislative priorities, and Board resolutions on increasing school funding and recapture accountability can be found on the KellerISD.net Legislative Updates page.

Finally, as a friendly reminder, Keller ISD campuses will be closed October 9-13 for Fall Break, and we wish all of our students and families a safe and relaxing week off. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles Randklev
President
Keller ISD Board of Trustees 

John Allison 
Interim Superintendent
Keller ISD