AISD board of trustees names new Southwest Austin representative

Board President Gina Hinojosa said Wagner is well-versed and knowledgeable about District 7, adding that the board can now quickly move forward on decisions facing District 7 and the entire school district.

DeeDee Green, president of the Gorzycki Middle School Parent Teacher Association and mother of three students at Southwest Austin schools, said the board “nailed it” by appointing Wagner.

Accountant Jonathan Dale Sump was the only other person to apply for the vacant trustee position. Hinojosa said both candidates are highly qualified and offer many assets that could be beneficial to the district.

“A vote for one [candidate] is not a vote against the other,” Hinojosa said.

After the board voted to appoint Wagner, Hinojosa said Sump has a long history of service to AISD. Sump served on a booster organization at Bowie High School and a committee to determine the design of the AISD Performing Arts Center.

Green said Sump would have brought financial expertise to the board if he was appointed. Trustees in the past have noted Schneider’s attention to fiscal responsibility.

Four people spoke about the District 7 appointment during the public comment period at the Sept. 28 board meeting. Two voiced support for Wagner, including Jessica Martone, a board member of the Bowie High School Parent Teacher Student Association. The other two speakers, including Kathleen Schneider, the widow of former trustee Schneider, said they supported Sump.

District 7 priorities

For years, District 7 constituents in Southwest Austin have voiced their concerns with overcrowding at Bowie on West Slaughter Lane. Some parents have said there is a need for another AISD high school south of Lady Bird Lake, and others have said the board should revisit the district’s transfer policy.

Voters approved bond funding in 2008 for the purchase of high school land in South Austin.

Wagner said the purchase of land for a South Austin high school will be an issue the board will be “tackling soon.”

“Bowie has maintenance issues that have been neglected for a long time,” Martone said. “Budget cuts from previous years took away from the maintenance of the building. And teachers need to be paid a competitive salary to keep quality teachers in AISD.”

The appointment process

The board’s appointment process included an open application period in early September and three public forums held in Southwest Austin schools in mid-September.

Previously, the board discussed holding an election in November to fill the seat, but that option was voted down 4-4 on Aug. 10.

The roughly $360,000 to operate an election in November, the fear of low voter turnout and the time it would take before the winning candidate would be sworn in were among the factors the board discussed before making the split vote.

Under state law, the board did not have the option to appoint a trustee for the rest of Schneider’s term, which was to end in November 2018, Hinojosa said.

In November 2014, Wagner ran against Schneider, the incumbent for 12 years, in the District 7 election. Wagner lost by a narrow margin, obtaining 48 percent of the vote.

“[Wagner] worked so hard for this last year during the [November 2014] election,” Martone said. “To go up against an incumbent who has been in the position for so many years and have such a close percentage between them was just incredible.”

Comparing the 2014 election with the appointment, Wagner said the experience with Sump was pleasant, while the election was intense.

“There was so much coming at me at once [during the 2014 District 7 election,]” Wagner said. “And I’ve had the benefit of having nine months to digest and reflect, so coming back into it this time afforded me the opportunity to have a more comfortable vantage point.”