The Pflugerville School Board race is still too close to be called

The race for place 1 at the Pflugerville school board is too close to be called and can be decided by Friday with postal ballots.
According to the results of Travis and Williamson counties, David Aguirre had a two-vote lead over Marc Garcia, 2,966 to 2,964. Garcia collected the only two votes cast in Williamson County’s race to cut the slim lead of four. Aguirre’s voice to voters in Travis County.
Travis County Executive Assistant Victoria Hinojosa said on Monday that the last day for counting national ballots in the mail was Monday and the last day for overseas ballots was Friday.
“All of these ballots are expected to be totaled by Friday, so there are outstanding ballots that could potentially affect the Pflugerville race,” Hinojosa said.
“It’s amazing that it’s so close,” Aguirre said Monday morning. “I’m glad the results are coming and we’ve had so many people. We’ll wait and see until the votes are certified and go from there.”
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Garcia said there was an interim ballot for him that would reduce the lead to one vote, with postal ballots still possible on Monday.
âThe deadline for the arrival and counting of the ballot papers by post (postmark being taken on polling day) is the end of the day tomorrow / Monday. For the moment. … we are waiting. “
Aguirre said in a Facebook post that he was not ready to declare himself the winner.
âThe results are still NOT final. We may not have a certified vote until Monday, âhe said. “The race is too close to be called.”
RELATED: Aguirre and Garcia compete for place 1 at the Pflugerville school board
Outgoing Tony Hanson ran without a challenge in the Place 2 race and got a total of 4,917 votes.
Garcia is a guidance counselor for the Austin School District, while Aguirre is a retired Target store manager. They are running to replace Mary Kimmins, who announced in January that she was not seeking re-election.
Aguirre said if elected he would bring students to the academic level and support teachers and administrative staff while following all CDC guidelines to ensure the safety of some students and staff.
“I would provide interventions and resources for students and staff as they too will need help, and I would make sure that students and staff are safe so that students can return to class as close as possible.” of 100%.
Aguirre said he was inspired to run for 1st place because he was ready to continue serving and improving the community of Pflugerville.
âAs a resident of Pflugerville ISD for 37 years, I have raised my family, worked and served in this community for a while,â said Aguirre. âI enjoyed walking en bloc, getting to know the community and was ready to continue serving my community to a greater capacity. It really opened up a whole new world to me.
As the results are being finalized, Garcia said on Monday that he was delighted that so many people came out to vote.
“I think so many voters got involved in our election because they understood that the fall semester will be unprecedented for our district, especially as we welcome students back to campuses,” said Garcia said. âI really think my message of putting student mental health first as we emerge from the pandemic resonated with PfISD voters.
Garcia said if elected he would improve the district’s communication with families and staff, especially around coronavirus decisions.
“There needs to be rapid dissemination of urgent information rather than at the eleventh hour or, in some cases, not at all,” Garcia said.
After:View all Austin election results
Garcia said the challenges facing the district include diversity and a dedication to academics and programs that reflect today’s educational needs.
âOur district needs to be proactive in planning for the reality of future growth,â he said, âwhich should start by nurturing our partnerships with local and county government entities and continuing to develop academic and professional programs. top notch that outperform others in central Texas. . ”
In a Facebook post on Saturday night, Hanson thanked those who voted for him in the undisputed race.
âYour commitment to civic duty and to ensuring that your voice is heard is commendable. Even though I was not opposed to the 2 spot for the PfISD board this year, I don’t quite get it. slight the opportunity you have given me. Let us continue to passionately serve the best interests of the students and complete the work that has been started. ”
Hanson, who has served on the board since 2017, said he would work with the district and the community to develop innovative and effective actions to close the achievement gap among black and Latino students.
âJust as there is unfinished learning caused by an unprecedented pandemic, there is unfinished business to be done in academics, finance and equity,â said Hanson. âI want to incorporate African American and Hispanic American Studies as credit courses into PfISD graduation and make sure that PfISD’s special education program is seen as a program to emulate.
RELATED: Tony Hanson seeks re-election to the Pflugerville school board
Hanson said he also wants to make sure the Pflugerville school district remains financially strong as it faces a $ 14 million budget deficit due to the pandemic.
âWe can always look back and think about what could have been different,â said Hanson. “It’s one thing to deal with disasters that are recurring events, but it’s another thing to deal with an unprecedented disaster.”