AKF Action

Posts by AKF Action

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Get Ready for the Polls

AKF Action October 30, 2018

1. Print your ballot

See what your ballot will look like and make a plan for who are you’re voting for. Complete the voter look up and then you can access your personal ballot. AISD school board elections are the LAST thing on the ballot. We are supporting:

  • Arati Singh
  • Kristin Ashy
  • Ted Gordon

2. Decide when you want to vote

Early Voting begins Monday, October 22 and ends Friday, November 2. Hours are Monday—Saturday (7am-7pm), Sunday (Noon—6pm).  Most people in Travis county vote early.  We recommend you vote early, too.

3. Decide where you want to vote

 There are locations all over town with some operating all throughout early voting and other mobile locations change sites daily.  You can vote wherever you see a “Vote Here” sign.  For a full list of locations, go here.

4. Know what to bring

You don’t have to dig out that voter card they sent you, unless you just want to.  You can show up with one of the following: Texas Driver’s Licence or ID, Military ID with photo, Passport, or Citizenship Certificate with photo. For a full list of approved ID, see the Travis county clerk’s website

5.VOTE

You can do this. Remember the machines are not touch screen so you will have to twirl the dial and click the buttons to complete your ballot.  Once you get going, it is not hard.   We promise.  If you are feeling nervous, you can read up on the eslate machines you will use to vote.

6. Wear your “I Voted” sticker as a badge of honor

i-voted

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Announcing 2018 Endorsement

AKF Action September 17, 2018

We are proud to announce our candidate endorsements for the 2018 AISD School Board Election. Click on each candidate’s name to learn more about their rating and why we’re endorsing them.

ARATI SINGH

DISTRICT 9 (AT-LARGE)

 

District 9 Voter Guide

Candidate Questionnaire

 

KRISTIN ASHY

DISTRICT 4 (NORTHWEST)

 

District 4 Voter Guide

Candidate Questionnaire

DR. EDMUND “TED” GORDON

DISTRICT 1 (NORTHEAST)

 

District 1 Voter Guide

Candidate Questionnaire

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2018 School Board Candidates

AKF Action August 25, 2018

The candidates running to serve Austin ISD students have been finalized.  There are 5 of 9 seats up for election this November, with 3 of the races contested.  Everyone in AISD will have the opportunity for an at-large candidate, with some parts of town also getting to vote in for someone to represent their single-member district.

District 1 (Northeast)

Ted Gordon*

LaTisha Anderson

District 4 (Northwest)

Kristin Ashy

Zachary Price

District 6 (South)

Geronimo Rodriguez*

District 7 (Southwest)

Yasmin Wagner*

District 9 (At-large)

Sam Russo

Arati Singh

Carmen Tilton

*incumbent

Check out the AISD website to see specific district boundaries.

We have sent each candidate a questionnaire as part of our endorsement process & we will be posting responses as we receive them. We will be asking for membership feedback on candidates via online survey starting September 1st. If you want to weigh in on our endorsements and aren’t already a member, you can still sign up.

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2018 Candidate Questionnaire

AKF Action August 24, 2018

We know the challenges and opportunities the district faces are nuanced, so rather than ask yes/no questions, we want to understand a person’s ability to think critically and prioritize making decisions in the best interest of ALL kids.  With persistent achievement gaps, ongoing budget deficits, declining enrollment and increased demand for 21st-century skills board members will need to think strategically and act urgently in service to kids.

Our Questionaire has 3 sections:

SECTION I: BRIEF PERSONAL PROFILE
SECTION II: DISTRICT OVERVIEW
SECTION III: APPROACH TO GOVERNANCE

 

A sample of some of the key questions are:

  • What skills and experiences prepare you to serve as an AISD Trustee? If you are elected to the school board, what would be your greatest area of growth?
  • Describe the specific role of the school board in improving education for Austin’s students.
  • As a board member, one of your important responsibilities will be to engage with parents and other members of the Austin community. What specific actions do you plan to take to fulfill those responsibilities? Provide an example of how you would bridge differences between diverse constituent groups on a given education issue.
  • Imagine you are holding a community meeting tomorrow to inform constituents on the state of Austin ISD.  What successes and challenges would be important to share?  What else would be on your agenda to share with the community?

See the full questionnaire here>

Once completed, all candidate questionnaires will be posted on our website as a tool for our Endorsement Committee, membership and Austin voters.

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Board Dialogue Meeting and a Board Work Session: My Journey to Find Out the Difference

AKF Action October 20, 2016

On Monday, October 3rd, I decided to take on the journey of attending my first Austin ISD School Board Meeting. As a former teacher, I had heard of the notorious board meetings. Many of my colleagues would whisper about the redundant, monotone dialogue between board members that would quickly put many of them to sleep. So, when I decided to attend my first meeting I knew I would need to be prepared.

The day before attending, I did my research. I mapped out the quickest route from my house to the Board Auditorium, found out where to park, and learned exactly where the meeting would take place.

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Get Ready for the Polls

AKF Action October 17, 2016

 

  1. Print your ballot

    See what your ballot will look like and make a plan for who are you’re voting for. AISD school board elections are the LAST thing on the ballot. Cindy’s name is the last name.

  2. Decide when you want to vote

    Early Voting begins Monday, October 24 and ends Friday, November 4. Hours are Monday—Saturday (7am-7pm), Sunday (Noon—6pm).  Most people in Travis county vote early.  We recommend you vote early, too.

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Top 7 Reasons to Knock on Doors With Us

AKF Action October 8, 2016

1. Get our candidate’s name in front of more voters.
Election day is rapidly approaching, and the more people we can talk to, the more likely they are to remember her name and vote for her.

2. Get Exercise.
Walking up and down those neighborhood streets definitely counts as your workout for the day.

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Cindy Anderson Earns Our Endorsement

AKF Action September 15, 2016

After completing our endorsement process, including PAC Board Assessments as well as membership voting, we are excited to share the news. We are proud to endorse Cindy Anderson for the District 8 (at-large) position.  Cindy has a decade of experience in various volunteer leadership positions serving AISD.  Her awareness of the varied community perspectives as well as critical data position her to immediately benefit the district on the dais.

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Candidate Responses To Questionnaires Are In

AKF Action August 30, 2016

School board trustees are volunteers who dedicate significant time to serving Austin ISD and play a critical role in ensuring resources are used effectively to serve all kids in the district.  We have asked all school board candidates to respond to a set of questions so the Austin Kids First membership and Austin Kids First PAC board can make an informed decision about who to support in the November election.  Everyone in AISD will have the opportunity to vote for an at-large candidate and 4 parts of town will also vote for a candidate in their district.  Every 2 years, half of the single member district seats are up for a vote. 

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