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Three Austin School Board Races Headed to Run-Offs

Tonight's board meeting starts at 7 p.m. at AISD headquarters.
Photo by Nathan Bernier/KUT News
Tonight's board meeting starts at 7 p.m. at AISD headquarters.

Three of the five races are headed to a run-off on Dec. 16.

Here are the final numbers:

District One: 

  • Ted Gordon 34.56%  (Run-Off)
  • David 'D' Thompson 28.45% (Run-Off)
  • P. Kevin Bryant 18.73%
  • Stanton Strickland 18.25%

District Four: 

  • Julie Cowan 77.41% (Winner)
  • Karen Zern Flanagan 22.59%

District Six: 

  • Paul Saldana 35.20% (Run-Off)
  • Kate Mason-Murphy 34.25% (Run-Off)
  • Monica Sanchez 30.55%

District Seven:

  • Robert Schneider 52.01% (Winner)
  • Yasmin Wagner 47.99%

District Nine (At-large):

  • Andy Trimino 8.28%
  • Hillary Procknow 24.23% (Run-Off)
  • Kendall Pace 39.67% (Run-Off)
  • Nael Chavez 15.97%
  • Kazique Prince 11.86%

The ACC Bond propositions passed, while the Tax Cap Election failed by a narrow vote (48 percent were for the Tax Cap increase while 52 percent were against.)
Update (10:10 pm): Election Day votes are still coming in, but school board races in Districts One, Six and Nine look as if they're heading to a runoff. 

In District Nine, Kendall Pace is leading the pack with 41 percent of the vote. Pace raised more than $80,000 in donations. However, the candidate in second place, Hillary Procknow, decided not to accept any political donations. Procknow has 24 percent of the vote. 

It's a similar story in District Six. Paul Saldana is leading the pack, but Kate Mason-Murphy is only a few points behind. She also didn't accept political donations. Instead, she ran a grassroots campaign and even made her own campaign signs.

Austin Community College's two bond propositions look like they're expected to pass, but the Tax Cap election is too close to call at this time.

Meanwhile, Mark Williams is leading Tim Mahoney for ACC Board Trustee Place One. Place Two looks like it's heading into a run off with three candidates just a few points apart, depending on the county. Six counties vote in the Austin Community College district. 

Meanwhile, in District Four, Julie Cowan has a healthy lead over Karen Zen Flanagan with 78 percent of the vote. The lone incumbent, Robert Schneider, is still ahead of Yasmin Wagner in Southwest Austin's District 7 with 53 percent of the vote. 

In 2012, the school board elections were seen as a referendum on former Superintendent Meria Carstarphen. But with no permanent superintendent and four school board members deciding not to run for re-election, this year's election looks like more of a blank slate. 

Original Post: Early voting results are in for the Austin School Board, ACC Board of Trustees and the ACC Bond Propositions.

While nearly 145,000 thousand voters cast an early ballot in Travis County, 54,813 cast a ballot in the at-large race in District 9,. That's the only race that appears on all Austin ISD ballots.

The only incumbent running, Robert Schneider, is leading in District 7. But that race, along with Districts, 1, 6 and 9 are expected to head into a run-off. District 4 in Northwest Austin has the largest gap. Julie Cowan leads Karen Zern Flanagan with 77 percent of the vote. 

This election will bring many new faces to an AISD school board, regardless of the results.  Current trustees in four of those five races decided not to run, and the remaining four other school board trustees were elected two years ago. 

Here are the results broken down by district:

AISD School Board Early Voting Results:

District One: 

  • David 'D' Thompson: 28.38%
  • Edmund 'Ted' Gordon: 35.56%
  • Stanton Strickland: 17.86%
  • P. Kevin Bryant: 18.20%

District Four:

  • Julie Cowan: 77.84%
  • Karen Zern Flanagan: 22.16:%

District Six:

  • Monica Sanchez: 29.49%
  • Paul Saldana: 36.14%
  • Kate Mason-Murphy: 34.37%

District Seven:

  • Robert Schneider: 53.89%
  • Yasmin Wagner: 46.11%

District Nine:

  • Nael Chavez: 14.97%
  • Kendall Pace: 41.43%
  • Hillary Procknow: 23.63%
  • Kazique Prince: 12.23%
  • Andy Trimino: 7.74%

The turnover comes as the school district is looking for a new superintendent. The new school board will have some major decisions to make in the next few years regarding the district’s budget, overcrowded and under-enrolled schools and declining enrollment district-wide.
Plus, for people who live within the district, most of an individual’s property tax bill goes toward AISD, not the city of Austin, Austin Community College or Travis County. So even if you don’ t have children in the district, or at all, the Austin School Board can still affect your wallet if it decides to raise property taxes. 

ACC Board of Trustees Early Voting Results(Travis County):

Place One:

  • Tim Mahoney: 45.24%
  • Mark Williams: 54.76%

Place Two:

  • Jady Chang Sheppard: 28.35%
  • Gigi Edwards Bryant: 32.42%
  • Jonathan Mathers: 7.94%
  • Michael Lewis: 10.32%
  • Robert Misso: 3.4%

Place Three: 

  • Nan McRaven

ACC Bond Package Early Voting Results:

  • Proposition 1:  For: 57.36%  Against: 42.64%
  • Proposition 2: For: 56.97% Against: 42.64%
  • Tax Cap Election: For: 50.16% Against: 49.84%

The $386 million bond proposition would allow ACC to renovate current buildings, build new campuses and expand programming.
Community colleges receive money from the state, student tuition and local property taxes. ACC is currently at its tax cap, and over the years, state lawmakers have reduced the amount of funding for community colleges. ACC officials say students have had to pick up the burden with increased tuition and fees. Trustees say if the bond package passes, they hope the board can stabilize tuition.

If all three proposals pass, the annual tax impact would be about $100 in additional taxes for a $200,000 home.

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