The Austin ISD board of trustees will choose a District 7 trustee in the future, a decision made after trustees could not agree on how to proceed. Trustees voted 4-4 for motions to either hold a November special election or make a one-year appointment and a November 2016 special election. Trustees Amber Elenz, Kendall Pace, Ann Teich and board President Gina Hinojosa were for a November election, and trustees Julie Cowan, Edmund Gordon, Jayme Mathias and Paul Saldaña were for an appointee. The split vote outcomes meant that the board will not be proceeding with a special election and will instead begin the conversation on making an appointment, board President Gina Hinojosa said. The divisive issue had to be discussed after the death of former District 7 trustee Robert Schneider July 28 caused a vacancy on the board. Before the split votes, trustees discussed several issues about an appointment or special elections, some of which were also mentioned a week before at the previous board meeting. Trustee Mathias asked Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir how voter turnout may differ from a November 2015 election and a November 2016 election. Using historical county election data, DeBeauvoir said the 2015 election may have a 15 percent turnout, while a 2016 election may have a 50 percent turnout. Election cost was another factor the trustees considered. AISD budgets $450,000 annually for elections, AISD staff informed the board. “For an open seat, you are very likely to have multiple candidates,” DeBeauvoir said. When budgeting for a special election, the cost for a runoff election should also be included, DeBeauvoir said. The cost for a November 2015 special election plus runoff was estimated to cost $360,000. “I can imagine that trustee Schneider is looking down on us this evening, talking about the possibility of spending $360,000 to fill his seat,” Mathias said. “I can imagine Trustee Schneider is smiling, shaking his head.” Trustees also considered the ongoing debate about a new South Austin high school, which is a topic that District 7 constituents are interested in. The board has been thinking for months on whether to build a new Southwest Austin high school or buy land before deciding on building. Matthew Markert, a person from the audience who spoke during the public comment period, asked the board to wait until after next year to make any decisions on Southwest Austin issues, if the board is making an appointment. Discussion on how to proceed with the appointment process was pushed to a future board meeting. The board meets again August 17.