Two Austin school board races headed to runoff
Two of three contested Austin school board seats are headed for a runoff.
Ofelia Maldonado Zapata clinched the Austin school board’s District 2 seat, which represents parts of East and Southeast Austin, garnering 14,434 votes, or 60.5%, on Tuesday. She avoided a runoff election in the three-way race as opponents John McKiernan-Gonzalez, a professor, and Andy Anderson, an information technology manager, trailed with 28.1% and 11.4%, respectively, of the vote.
Maldonado Zapata, 60, has been a community activist for more than 30 years, including as one of the leaders in Austin Interfaith, a multi-issue organization. She said she will advocate for equitable education, increasing resources for students with special needs and increasing district transparency and accessibility.
No candidate in the contests for Districts 5 and 8 received the required majority of the vote to avoid a runoff. The top two finishers in each race will compete in the Dec. 15 runoff.
In the race for the District 5 seat, which includes much of Central and West Austin, Lynn Boswell and Jennifer Littlefield will face off. Tuesday night, Boswell received 14,432 votes, or 38.1%, and Littlefield received 13,851 votes, or 36.5%. Piper Stege Nelson, who outraised both opponents, trailed with 25.4% of the vote.
Boswell, 51, a documentary filmmaker, has said she will push for equity and academic excellence, including conducting an equity assessment to have shared data to inform decisions and seeking shared solutions to inequities. As of the Oct. 26 campaign finance report, Boswell had raised $23,468 and spent $10,482.
“I’m very excited to be in a runoff, really honored that people chose to come out and support me, honored by the votes people gave me and all that people put into it,” Boswell said. “We have to keep going.”
Littlefield, 41, a lawyer, has said the district must improve strategic planning and address equity gaps exacerbated by remote learning amid the pandemic. She has spent $38,283 and raised $36,666.
“I’m excited to be headed into a runoff with a strong position,” she said. "There was a common theme in the AISD races for support for the grassroots candidates with a long record of involvement in the schools and their communities. We’re going to keep doing the same thing we’ve been doing, which is talking with parents, teachers and community leaders."
In the at-large District 8 race, Leticia Moreno Caballero and Noelita Lugo also are headed for the runoff. Caballero garnered 111,129 votes, or 45.8%, while Lugo received 72,291 votes, or 29.8%. Candidates Mike Herschenfeld and Jared Brackenridge trailed with 12.9% and 11.5%, respectively.
Caballero, 47, is the government relations director for a health care company. She has said the district must address enrollment losses, ensure robust education during the pandemic, and address learning losses caused by pandemic. She has raised $38,495 and spent $22,544, according to the Oct. 26 finance report.
“I am so excited. I am very happy I have support all across the city and that came through in the results,” Caballero said. “I’ve not only volunteered for so many years with the district, but being from Austin and having a lot of relationships, I think that came through.”
Lugo, 43, is a child support and foster care public policy consultant. She has said the district must improve special education by carrying out recommendations by staff, students and parents brought to the board and district executives. She said she wants to help the district earn back the trust of the community and improve relationships with leaders in the city of Austin and Travis County governments. Lugo has raised $56,616 and spent $19,597.
“I’m grateful to have the support of so many valued community groups and the sustained energy of our hardworking grassroots volunteers,” Lugo said. “This was never a sprint. I’m in this for the long haul and our campaign remains focused on earning every vote necessary to win a seat on the school board because every child deserves a chance at success in the classroom and in life.”
District 3 candidate Kevin Foster, a University of Texas professor, was unopposed in the election.
