Hundreds of residents, students and teachers urge Keller ISD board to halt proposed district split and demand transparency

Hundreds of residents, students and staff packed the Keller ISD boardroom on Thursday to press trustees to halt a plan to split the district, accusing board members of secrecy, improper use of public funds and possible violations of state open-records rules.

The public comment period, limited to one minute per speaker under board policy BED (local), stretched across more than two hours. More than 60 individuals, including students and retired educators, called on the board to release full details, stop expenditures on outside lawyers and put any detachment or “reshaping” plan to a public vote.

Why it matters: Speakers said the proposed split could change students’ access to programs, affect staffing and finances across Keller ISD’s nine ZIP-code feeder patterns and erode public trust. Several asked the board to pause real-estate transactions while questions about motives and timing remain.

Many commenters cited newly released public records and an RSM forensic audit summary posted on the district website. Michelle Testerman, a 28-year educator, told trustees that public records suggest board members may have violated the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Texas Public Information Act and accused trustees of using private email accounts for official business. “Trust in the board leadership has severely been damaged,” she said (public comment).

Students spoke repeatedly. A fifth grader from Heritage Elementary, identified in the transcript as Carson Dixon, said he loved being a Panther and asked trustees to keep the district intact. High school students who attended noted they would lose advanced-program opportunities and said legal fees—cited by multiple speakers at more than $200,000 this school year and described by one commenter as on track to increase sharply—are being prioritized over programs.

Longtime residents and former educators repeatedly called for transparency and for the board to let all Keller ISD voters decide the question. Ron Hibbs, who said he worked in Keller ISD for 36 years and served as Keller mayor, told trustees that a split without a district-wide election would be “the worst possible decision” for students. Multiple speakers highlighted an increase in outside legal spending and questioned a roughly $24,000 payment tied to a consultant identified in public records as below a $25,000 board threshold.

Several speakers pressed trustees to suspend real-estate transactions in Fort Worth, pointing to a Basswood property and recent rezoning notices for roughly 22 district-owned parcels. One commenter quoted Fort Worth Councilman Charles Lauerstorff (as read into the record) expressing surprise that Keller ISD appeared “in a hurry to sell property in Fort Worth while discussions of a district split are still ongoing.”

What trustees and staff said: Interim Superintendent Dr. Corey Wilson acknowledged community concern and noted the district had posted the RSM executive summary online. Board Vice President John Burt read meeting protocols and emphasized the one-minute public comment limit. The board declined a motion to add an unscheduled public discussion about the reshaping to the posted agenda at one point, citing Texas Open Meetings Act requirements and the need for items to be posted.

Context and next steps: Petition drives and calls to change how trustees are elected (to single-member districts) were repeatedly referenced; organizers placed a petition website on the public record. Several speakers urged residents to contact state legislators and to sign petitions. Trustees later went into executive session; no board decision on the reshaping was taken at the public meeting.

Ending: The board adjourned after an executive session; community members left the meeting urging further public engagement and a formal vote before any final decisions on district boundaries or major property transactions.