The Austin ISD board of trustees swore in five members and named its board officers at itsJan. 6 meeting, following a call from local advocacy group Texas Civil Rights Project to conduct an assessment on equity in the school district.

New trustees Edmund Gordon ofDistrict 1, Julie Cowan ofDistrict 4, Kendall Pace of At-Large Position 9and Paul Saldaa ofDistrict 6 took their oaths of office during the meeting. District 7 trustee Robert Schneider, who was reelected in November, also took his oath of office for his fourth term. Board members serve four-year terms.

Trustees elected At-Large Position 8 trustee Gina Hinojosa as board president in a 72 vote, with trustees Ann Teich and Robert Schneider opposed. In an 8-1 vote, the board also elected District 5 Amber Elenz as vice-president, with Schneider opposing. Trustees re-elected District 2 trustee Jayme Mathias as board secretary.

The new trustees thanked their supporters and pointed out some of their goals. Schneider said although not all schools met state accountability standards in 2014, one focus for the school district should be to highlight successes and unique programs at AISD schools. The board will have some tough financial decisions in the coming years, he said.

Weve got to do something about a permanent raise for our teachers, said Schneider, who has advocated for implementing two consecutive 5 percent pay bumps for staff to help the district close the gap in terms of how teacher salaries compare with those of other districts.

During public comment, a few speakers asked the new trustees to consider equity among their priorities.

Hillary Procknow, who ran against Pace for the At-Large Position 9 seat, thanked the board members for their service and asked them to remember the most vulnerable students in the district.

Joseph Berra, coordinator of TCRPs Education Equity Project, asked AISD to conduct a self-assessment on equitable access to education resources as recommended by the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education, which recently analyzed inequitable access to educational resources within school districts that could constitute unlawful discrimination. Berra said the TCRP has asked AISD to improve how it serves economically disadvantaged and minority students in schools on the east side of Austin.

In a news release, the TCRP said it requests a response from AISD by Jan. 20.

We can no longer sweep these issues under the rug, he said. Overcoming our economic and racial divides begins with providing the highest quality educational programs and opportunities to our most disenfranchised students.

The district also recognized the service of outgoing trustees Cheryl Bradley, Tamala Barksdale, Lori Moya and Vincent Torres.