The Austin Independent School District is heading toward a one-of-a-kind election for its school board. Thirteen candidates are running for five trustee positions to represent districts 1, 4, 6 and 7, and an at-large position. But whoever wins this election might be replaced by a board of managers appointed by the state, as a potential takeover looms over Austin ISD.
After Burnet and Webb middle schools received five consecutive failing grades from the state, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath must make a decision on what level of intervention AISD will receive.
Parents from both schools signed a letter asking Morath to close their campuses in an effort to avoid a takeover of the district — in which the superintendent and board of trustees would be replaced. But Morath could still decide to close the campuses and appoint a new board, creating uncertainty for elected trustees.
The candidates running for district positions would represent specific areas of the district, while an at-large position represents the district as a whole. The new board would be sworn in as the district has been grappling with lower enrollment, continuous budget challenges that have led to deep cuts, and efforts to bring up academic performance at D and F rated schools.
KUT News asked candidates why they decided to run, their priorities if they were to remain on the board and their plans if a board of managers is appointed by the state. Here’s what they told us.
To see what Austin ISD district you live in, visit the map on the district’s website.
District 1
Bradley served as the District 1 trustee from 2002 to early 2015. She said she felt compelled to run for the AISD board again because she felt the district had stepped away from its primary responsibility of educating children.
Bradley said her main priority would be putting children first and making sure schools are not receiving Fs in the accountability system. She would like to see the district going back to small classroom sizes with qualified teachers at the front and capable leaders in each campus. She said the district also has to focus on the budget, but never put aside the focus on students.
Amid the possibility of being replaced by a board of managers, Bradley said she hopes the state listens to families in District 1 that have been ignored for years.
“The district doesn’t listen to our community. If TEA comes in, possibly they may listen — they might not,” Bradley said. “I’m not saying I want a TEA takeover, but I’m getting ready to act like it’s gonna be the worst thing in the entire world.”
Hunter, a former educator, is running for reelection and has been on the board since December of 2022. She said that, despite the challenges AISD has faced in recent years, she has seen a positive trend for African American, emerging bilingual and economically disadvantaged students in the last year. She said her ultimate goal would be to have better academic outcomes for all students, but especially for these populations.
She said one of her priorities would be informing families of the high-stakes changes taking place in public education, but that she would also like to focus on fixing AISD’s finances, since selling properties will not fix the problem in the long run, she said.
Hunter said she would like to try to prevent the appointment of a board of managers. But if that were to be the case, she would continue being an advocate for her community, by keeping a sharp eye on the board’s meeting agenda and helping people speak out.
“What I did back in the day before I was elected is I’m basically a watchdog as part of a couple of different groups,” Hunter said.
District 4
Edward M. Bradfield campaign
Edward M. Bradfield
Bradfield said he wanted to run for the District 4 board seat because AISD needs new thinking that can turn the ship around. He said his previous experience advocating for special education makes him the right person to bring new ideas into the district.
He said his priorities would be for AISD to have more clear and direct communication with families about the challenges the district is facing. Bradfield said he understands the budget needs to be balanced, but teachers and staff need more support. He said he would like to standardize academics across the district with individual support for schools that have failing grades.
Bradfield said he has hope that the district could avoid a takeover, but that the worst case scenario would be for the state to appoint a board of managers. He said he would track the district’s improvement to get out of a takeover as quickly as possible.
“I would continue to do what I’m doing, and that is to advocate for the parents and the families in Austin ISD, to make sure that the state knows what we want,” he said. “I will make sure that we get the district [back] as quickly as we can.”
Tricia Mitchell Kim campaign
Tricia Mitchell Kim
Mitchell Kim has experience working on quality improvement and runs an outpatient psychiatry practice for adults in Austin. She said she decided to run for the District 4 seat because she has seen improvement take place at AISD, and her multidisciplinary background could bring a fresh perspective for the district to improve in other ways.
Her top priorities would be working on the schools that are below passing rates and scaling back the budget, taking into account changes in enrollment and demographics in the city. Mitchell said she would keep the community engaged in having conversations about public education.
She said that if the board is replaced, she would take a close look at the agenda of every meeting to keep an eye on changes. She would also consider applying to be one of the appointed members of the board. She said that would allow her to bridge a gap between Austinites and the state.
“If that’s the body that is making decisions about the district and if I could have an opportunity to be engaged in that, that’s something I would at least want to try to do,” Mitchell Kim said. “People can surprise me by being reasonable.”
Neufeld said she decided to run because the board could use a lawyer that can understand how to comply with statutes and regulations. She said her experience as a lawyer could help the district implement bonds and look into repurposing recently closed schools. She said her experience as a parent and school advocate will help bring the community together in the event of a takeover.
Neufeld said her top priorities as an AISD trustee would be strengthening community voices, improving transparency and accountability throughout the district and pushing for more academic consistency for all campuses. Neufeld said she wants the district to be able to identify issues early on and have enough time to come up with solutions that include the community’s input.
She said if a board of managers were to be appointed, she would continue the work of a trustee even without the official title.
“As a trustee, you will [need] to leverage existing relationships and community trust,” she said. “To put a grassroots effort into doing things like continuing to hold the state accountable, demanding transparency, and also ensuring that the community voice continues to be heard.”
District 6
Dille is a former AISD teacher who now teaches future educators at the University of Texas at Austin. She said she decided to run for the board because she thought her 26 years of education experience would be helpful during the “tumultuous time” AISD is going through.
She said she would prioritize supporting teachers to give students the best classroom experience they can have. Dille said the district needs to work on regaining families’ trust and boosting its enrollment. She said another priority would be focusing on equity issues by making sure all AISD schools are equally strong and underserved populations get the support they need.
Dille said she hopes to help prevent a takeover, but that in the event a new board is appointed, she would be an active listener and would inform families about how to better organize and rally against any policies that don’t align with the values of AISD.
“I do think I’m uniquely qualified to translate what’s happening instructionally in classrooms under a takeover into language that families understand,” she said. “And then to also talk about whether or not those practices are research-based best practices for the education of our children.”
Lebron is a community advocate and consultant who said she decided to help the district come up with a clear plan to fix the “convergence of issues” AISD is facing. She said the district needs a solid plan to improve schools with unacceptable ratings.
She said her main priority would be using her training in literacy interventions and the science of reading to develop plans to help the district improve early childhood literacy and secondary literacy. Other priorities would be working on improving special education services, reducing central office spending and making sure campuses are properly funded.
Lebron said that in the case of being replaced by an appointed board of managers, she would continue listening to parents, teachers and staff, as she does now, and uplifting their voices. She said she would also use Fort Worth and Houston independent school districts as examples of what happens during takeovers and try to prevent that from happening at AISD.
“I would also want to work with the folks who are in our district to try to negotiate based on AISD’s values,” Lebron said. “We want to keep librarians. We want not to have punitive cultures in our classrooms. So how can we work together?”
San Martin said he decided to run because he would bring direct classroom experience and legislative policy experience to the board. San Martin, who currently works as an analyst for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said he has previously worked as a legislative assistant in the Texas Legislature. He has also served on state and local boards, like the State Independent Living Council, and he said his experience gives him a unique understanding of the government systems shaping public education.
He said his priorities would be student achievement, teacher retention, fiscal responsibility and strong support for students with disabilities. San Martin said he would work to make sure teachers are certified and principals have the experience to lead schools. He said he would like to increase teacher pay and improve teacher retention to boost academic outcomes and create a sense of community in each school.
He said, if a board of managers is appointed, he would try to work with them and try to get the district out of state control as quickly as possible.
“I understand that I might not have any voting power, but you can still advocate and focus on the students and teachers and parents and make sure that they have a strong voice and represent at the local level,” San Martin said. “And then make sure that the district’s moving forward and achieving the academic outcomes that are needed.”
District 7
Counihan, who is currently the policy communications director for state Rep. Donna Howard, said he decided to run for the board because his state policy experience would be helpful in the event of a takeover of AISD.
He said he would be working with local organizations to boost enrollment and improve academics by better supporting emergent bilingual and special education students. Counihan said he would like to fix the continuous budget problems by creating more partnerships with local providers, like the Austin Public Library, and diversifying revenue streams through shared projects.
Counihan said that if a board of managers is appointed, he will continue attending board meetings and uplifting the voices of District 7 and pushing for legislative changes to the state accountability system.
“Whether it’s a board of managers that’s appointed or conservatorship, I would still work hand in hand with local lawmakers at the city and state level to try and advocate for a change to the accountability system,” Counihan said. “I would also really try to work with the board of managers and try to build relationships where I could and be a liaison between the community and a board of managers.”
Solis said she decided to run because her “boots on the ground” experience and her work leading the Austin Council of Parent Teacher Associations give her a unique position to understand the challenges that AISD is facing.
Solis said her priorities would be accountability, working on regaining families’ trust and recruitment and fiscal accountability. She said she would like to work on retaining and developing great teachers and principals, because they provide stability and good outcomes for students. Solis said she would also like to work on fiscal responsibility and on an easier enrollment process because those things would also allow the district to have more funding.
If the state appoints a board of managers, Solis said she would still focus on organizing community efforts at each campus.
“I will still advocate in the same ways that I am now, which is organizing families, making sure that stakeholder input is provided,” Solis said. “If I’m elected as board trustee, I’m just gonna make it even more incumbent on me to make sure that I’m reaching out to the community, still hearing what they’re saying, because there are still local advocacy efforts that we could be doing.”
At-large Position 9
Kirk Becker
Becker is a retired IT support specialist who said he decided to run for AISD’s school board because he’s worried about school funding.
He said his main priority as a member of the board would be turning all AISD schools into charter schools. He said that would bring in revenue from the state while giving students a good education.
Becker said the per student allotment hasn’t adjusted to current costs and the only way for Austin ISD to avoid giving recapture payments to the state while providing public education for all is to turn into a charter district. He said that, while some families would leave the district, that would still happen during a state takeover. He said having charter schools could help mitigate the impact of a takeover on students.
“It’d take a lot of work to make it work, but I mean the options are so low that we’re kind of being pushed into this,” Becker said. “I mean what’s happening anyway, kids are leaving the school district. It’s a matter of getting out ahead of it and making this work.”
Mathai has taught in three Texas school districts and decided to run for the position to try to avoid a state takeover by participating with community advocacy groups.
She said that as a board member she would focus on keeping an open line with educators and gaining the trust back of AISD districts that have felt neglected. Mathai said one of her priorities would be hiring qualified principals with academic backgrounds who can fully support staff at campuses and know the communities they are working in.
She said if trustees are replaced by a board of managers, she would throw her name in the hat to be considered for the job because the most important thing is protecting democratic representation and trying to represent the Austin community.
“If they would allow me to serve on the board of managers, at least that would be a democratically elected voice in a position of power,” Mathai said. “I’d want to figure out what that common ground is and advocate for it.”
Soliz, a local school advocate and attorney, said she felt compelled to run because she has experience working with school districts under state intervention. She said she worked for AISD while the district’s special education was under state oversight, and before that with Round Rock ISD.
She said that, as a trustee, she would use her experience to mitigate the impact of potential new laws and of state intervention on AISD campuses. She said she would like to see academic minimums for all schools, a standard tracker for special education evaluations, and an ombudsman who can help parents connect with an AISD employee who can address their grievances.
Soliz said that in the case of the state appointing a new board of managers, she would go back to doing the advocacy she’s been doing for the last 20 years. “To be able to do what I have been doing, which is to amplify voices of people who are directly impacted,” Soliz said. “Using my platform, my legal knowledge, my ability to share these stories and bring attention to those issues and find solutions that work for the communities.”