Fernando de Urioste Wins At-Large Austin ISD Seat

Former special education teacher Fernando Lucas de Urioste decisively beat Lindsey Stringer in the runoff election for Austin ISD’s open at-large seat on Saturday.

De Urioste won 12,455 of the 17,778 votes cast – 70% – to replace Trustee Noelita Lugo. Stringer got 5,323 votes. The two candidates were the top vote-getters in a six-candidate race in the general election on Nov. 5.

“I am honored and inspired to have received a clear show of support,” de Urioste said. “This win leaves me feeling good about my ability to serve the community and work towards our common goals. I am taking a couple of days off and then I’ll get to work continuing the many conversations I have already started with families, AISD community leaders, and stakeholders.”

De Urioste was the strong favorite of district leaders. Education Austin, the labor union which represents AISD’s teachers and staff, donated $20,000 to his campaign, giving him a 3-to-1 funding advantage over Stringer. In a social media post on Saturday evening, Education Austin’s Ken Zarifis said that de Urioste’s victory demonstrated the union’s commitment to the long game, noting that it has endorsed and supported all nine members of AISD’s incoming board of trustees.

The Austin American-Statesman endorsed Stringer before the general election and there was concern among some education leaders that the endorsement, coupled with lower turnout in the runoff, could push her to victory. Her opponents circulated a letter she’d written to the Chronicle in 2009 stating that she is anti-abortion – something she did not divulge during her campaign. Stringer did not dispute the letter’s authenticity but said her views on abortion had nothing to do with the campaign.

De Urioste is an expert on providing students with special education services, something that became a crisis for the district during the COVID pandemic. He taught special ed in AISD for five years and went on to help parents advocate for their kids at the Cirkiel Law Group, a firm representing students, particularly those receiving special education services.

The number of students needing the services has risen dramatically across the country in the last several years. With Texas districts having difficulty meeting the need, some families have put their kids in charter schools and private schools. De Urioste said that AISD must properly provide the services and that doing so will encourage those who have left to return, increasing enrollment and helping the district solve its budget deficit problem.

“Quality special education services attract families and more importantly they help our kids,” de Urioste said. “For years, I have had families call me to ask before moving somewhere in Texas, 'Should I move to this district? Which are the best schools for Special Education there?’ It has been a more and more difficult question to answer over the years. It is critical that we focus on service quality and consistency across the board with special education, yes, but also with the diversity of programs like magnet and dual language programs that attract so many families to AISD.”