Homeowners plan to fight potential Keller ISD split, could hurt property values
NORTH TEXAS – As Keller ISD considers a proposal to divide the district in two, the Board of Trustees has faced overwhelming opposition from parents, students, teachers – and now, homeowners.
Heritage is a thriving community in north Fort Worth with 3,400 homes.
"We have exemplary schools," said Cary Moon, chair of the Heritage HOA Legal Task Force. "We have engaged neighbors. And we care about our kids and our property values."
So much so, they're taking on the Keller ISD Board of Trustees.
"We're going to fight with every dollar we've got to win," said Moon.
This week, Moon said the Heritage HOA has raised more than $55,000 through a GoFundMe and private donations to form a legal task force and hire attorneys to combat the proposal to split the district in two, using Denton Highway as a dividing line.
If approved, their neighborhood would be left out of Keller ISD and put into a new district.
"It really has an emotional impact on the people that have gone through that experience and made a decision to live here based on the ISD," Moon said. "Splitting the district creates a lot of uncertainty for people, a lot of angst."
Families are worried not only about how the split would impact their child's education, with potential inequities in resources between the newly formed districts, but also the impact on their property values.
Realtors say homes in Fort Worth that are zoned for Keller ISD typically have significantly more value.
"It's really unfortunate because it will impact the pricing and the families that live there 100%," said real estate agent Liz Ulate. "Unfortunately, they invested in this picture that Keller ISD sold to them."
Ulate said when news broke of the potential split, she immediately got calls from worried clients.
"A normal investor takes losses, but someone with their family is not looking to take that same loss in Tarrant County in general," she said. "That's why I think it's so important that the elected officials in charge of making this decision really pay attention to what the community is either wanting or not wanting."
The Heritage HOA says they will fight any school board measure that doesn't include a community-wide vote.
"Really the decision to split the district should be done in open-door discussions with significant due diligence and through the vote by the people impacted," said Moon.
CBS News Texas reached out to the district and all the Keller ISD trustees about the new legal task force and the potential impact of the split on property values, but has yet to receive any responses.
Previously, the board president has said the realignment would provide more long-term financial stability for both districts, while increasing efficiency and local control.
The next Keller ISD Board of Trustees meeting is on Thursday, Feb. 27.
