Austin ISD board of trustees District 7 candidates Dale Sump and Yasmin Wagner attended the first of three public forums at Bowie High School Sept. 15.[/caption]

The two applicants interested in the vacant Austin ISD board of trustees District 7 seat came to Bowie High School on Slaughter Lane on Sept. 15 for the first of three public forums.

The forum, moderated by the League of Women Voters of the Austin Area, gave applicants Dale Sump and Yasmin Wagner an opportunity to let District 7 residents and several trustees in attendance know their qualifications and stances on several issues including unequal funding per campus and electronic textbooks.

Wagner, who is a corporate communications and marketing manager, was the first to give a two-minute introduction. Wagner said she is a parent of two students who attend Southwest Austin schools. Her experience with the district has included parent-teacher associations such as the Austin Council of PTAs, the Bowie Vertical Team and the AISD Boundary Advisory Committee, she said.

Sump, who is a certified public accountant, told attendees he has three children who all graduated from Bowie and have moved on to college or a career. His experience with the district includes service on the AISD Community Bond Oversight Committee and the Performance Arts Center Naming Committee.

One out of the 10 questions Wagner and Sump answered at the forum was about the perception that some schools in the district receive more funding than other schools, and what the applicants believe is the cause behind the perception.

Sump said the perception comes from the rapid growth of Southwest Austin within the past few decades, leading to new schools in the area.

“But what trustees as a whole need to be looking at is how to replace those aging facilities, many of them east of I-35,” Sump said.

Wagner said schools do not always receive more funding for needs based on students’ economic status.

“There are gross inequities across our district that we need to do better at [addressing],” Wagner said.

On the use of electronic textbooks versus physical textbooks, Wagner said the answer comes from teachers, but added that she is concerned that the use of e-textbooks can create a barrier for students who do not have access to a computer. Sump said technology should be embraced, but physical textbooks should be provided for students who prefer the format.

Both applicants are interested in filling the board vacancy left after District 7 trustee Robert Schneider died July 28. The board will appoint either Sump or Wagner on an interim basis.

The next two forums will be held:

Noon-1 p.m., Sept. 17, Covington Middle School, 3700 Convict Hill Road

11 a.m.-noon, Sept. 19, Baranoff Elementary School, 12009 Buckingham Gate Road

More information is available at www.austinisd.org.