The Austin Independent School District trustees walked into their Jan. 19 meeting looking to elect a new board president. By the time they left, shortly before midnight, they had a whole new slate of officers.
The election was triggered by At-Large Position 8 Trustee Gina Hinojosa‘s decision to step down as board president to concentrate on her run for the Democratic nomination for House District 49 (although, as she reiterated on several occasions throughout the meeting, she does not leave the board until her term expires in November). However, there had been rumblings from the boardroom after her December announcement that this was an opportunity to start fresh – even though the current roster of officers was only selected last November.
The vote was not technically on the agenda but, as Vice President Amber Elenz noted, Texas law allows the board to select its leadership at any point. First up was finding Hinojosa’s replacement, and it quickly became clear that the board wanted to swap one at-large trustee for another, with Place 9’s Kendall Pace elected by unanimous vote.
However, there was not quite the same consensus about moving ahead on replacing both Elenz and Secretary Jayme Mathias. Initially, a subdued Mathias voted against adding those two seats to the agenda, after stating that if the board did act, then it should create a slate that considered “a diversity of race, gender, experience, and geography.” In the end, both he and Elenz ended up voting for their replacements: new Secretary Julie Cowan and new Vice President Paul Saldaña. Mathias even made light of his demotion, saying “I am the happiest man in the world, firstly because I feel like I have earned back a few precious hours each month.”
In some ways, this seems like musical chairs; however, it does create the diverse slate Mathias wanted. Looking beyond the individual offices, Saldaña is his substitute as a voice for East Austin; Cowan replaces Elenz as a voice for West Austin and an outreach agent to pro-public education Republicans; and the presidency remains with an at-large trustee elected by the whole district. However, it’s also a fresh start. The last few months have seen internal tensions distract the board, such as public bickering between Trustees Ann Teich and Ted Gordon, while trustees have privately expressed frustration with Mathias’ strict proceduralist tendencies slowing action.
This article appears in January 22 • 2016.
