District 2

In District 2, there are three candidates vying to replace the retiring board trustee Jayme Mathias. The candidates are Andy Anderson, Ofelia Maldonado Zapata, and John McKiernan-Gonzalez.

Anderson, who ran for the same seat in 2016, serves on several Austin ISD committees. Zapata is a community organizer and served as a board member for Austin Interfaith, a local non-profit that works with both religious and civic organizations. McKiernan-Gonzalez currently works as an Assistant Professor at Texas State.

McKiernan-Gonzalez became involved in Austin ISD matters when the district considered closing 12 schools. Zapata does not support school closures and supports additional training for school resource officers. Anderson gave a solution to the issue of school closures, and would look at other ways to utilize the school.

The Austin American-Statesman and the Austin Chronicle endorsed McKiernan-Gonzalez and he leads the field in fundraising.

District 2 covers parts of East and Southeast Austin.  

District 3

Kevin Foster is running unopposed for District 3 so he will automatically become the next board trustee for District 3, replacing outgoing trustee Ann Teich.

Foster is a professor at The University of Texas at Austin. In 2009, he founded Blackademics Television, a locally-televised program that shares the work of Black scholars and activists.

Foster supports an equity plan for historically unrepresented and marginalized communities. He encourages diversity in schools and supports thoughtful, current and culturally-relevant curriculum.

In 2019, Foster launched “Reframe The Game”, which worked to improve equity among Austin schools. The group opposed the school board’s plan to close 12 Austin ISD schools since the schools in danger of being closed were predominantly lower income.

District 3 runs from Central Austin to North Austin, including the Hyde Park and Mueller areas. The district is 85% Hispanic and 65% of the students are English language learners. 

District 5

Three candidates are running in District 5 to replace the outgoing trustee Amber Elenz.

District 5 voters will pick between Lynn Boswell, Jennifer Littlefield, or Piper Stege Nelson to serve as the next school board trustee for District 5.

Littlefield served on the Facilities and Bond Planning Advisory Committee, which was responsible for the 2017 school bond that was passed. Boswell has served as an Austin ISD volunteer as well as being the president of the Austin Council of PTAs. Nelson is the Chief Public Strategies Officer at The SAFE Alliance, an organization working to end sexual assault and abuse by providing services to survivors of abuse.

Boswell is endorsed by the Austin American-Statesman as well as the Austin Chronicle, but Nelson has raised the most money, raising nearly $50,000 as of October 8.

District 5 runs from Central Austin to South Austin. The district includes Austin High School, Small Middle School, O’Henry Middle School and seven elementary schools.   

District 8

The at-large District 8 has four candidates vying to replace outgoing trustee Cindy Anderson. The four candidates are Noelita Lugo, Leticia Moreno Caballero, Mike Herschenfeld, and Jared Breckenridge.

The Austin American-Statesman and the Austin Chronicle endorsed different candidates. Lugo was endorsed by the Austin Chronicle, citing Lugo’s advocacy for AISD families during the school closings controversy, but the Austin-American Statesman endorsed Leticia Moreno Caballero, who leads the Austin Ed Fund.

Breckenridge, a 25-year-old fourth generation Austinite, brings the experience of being an Austin ISD substitute teacher to the race for this seat. Lugo founded Save Austin Schools, an organization founded in response to the school board’s plan to close several schools. Caballero is an AISD parent and graduate and serves as the Vice Chair of the Austin Ed Fund, which helps support Austin ISD initiatives.

District 8 is an at-large district, meaning that the district encompasses all of Austin ISD.