Keller ISD community calls for vote on controversial plan to split district; district publishes FAQ webpage
KELLER — A day after more than 500 people endorsed an open letter to the Keller Independent School District Board of Trustees demanding answers about a controversial proposal to split the district in two, the district posted a webpage with FAQs on the plan.
Frustrated parents say they were left in the dark after the board promised to give families more information at last week's meeting.
"And so the fact that it's been now more than a week and we have heard zero, nothing, is just further proof to us that they have every intention of continuing to hide and to lie to the public," said Laney Hawes, a parent to four Keller ISD students and co-founder of the nonprofit advocacy group Keller ISD Families for Public Education Facebook. "And one of the worst parts is what it's just doing then, is it is just leaving the entire community in a in a state of speculation, frustration, anger or disappointment."
Hawes said the longer their questions go answered, the worse the division in the district feels.
"We had a board meeting last week that was out of control," she said."120 public speakers and a lot of fighting and yelling and screaming. The board lost control of the room."
At that meeting last Thursday, the board president told the crowd the district would put together a community webpage to clear up misconceptions about the proposal and send the idea to committees for feedback. It took more than a week before parents heard anything more from the district.
"It's very concerning," said Keller ISD parent Amy Galilio. "It, unfortunately, it leads you to draw some conclusions that might not be the right ones.
Galilio is hopeful there's work happening behind the scenes to get the facts out.
"I'd like to just start off by seeing some data, understand the why," she said. What got us here? What have we tried that failed? We need to hear more information, and then we need to let the community vote."
Nearly 3,000 people have signed her online petition calling for a community vote on the split.
Hawes agrees residents need a say in what happens to the district. If not, she says the move could have scary implications.
"If this works and if they get away with it, it will set a precedent that any school board in the state of Texas can vote to cut off any portion of their school district they don't like, as long as it's 8000 students or more," said Hawes. "That's what will happen. So this isn't just about Keller."
On Friday, CBS News Texas reached out to every trustee on the board, the superintendent and the district to see when the webpage would go online and if committees had received the information, but no one could give us concrete answers during the day. Just a few minutes before our report aired at 4:30 p.m., a spokesperson for the district sent the webpage.
The Keller ISD Board of Trustees will meet again next Thursday, January 30.
