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 Of this surplus, only $5 billion is needed to address inflationary pressures and fix an outdated funding formula that is negatively impacting districts across the state.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