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