2024 Leander ISD School Board Elections

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Blue image with white text that reads "Vote for LISD School Board. Be an informed voter and make your plan to vote for Leander ISD School Board Places 3, 4, and 5. October 21 - Early Voting Begins, November 5 - Election Day

If you’re a parent or grown-up in Leander ISD, you should know that we have an important school board election coming up for Leander ISD School Board. Out of 7 seats on the Board of Trustees, 3 are on the ballot, and need your vote to select who will lead the district.

Learn who’s running, what to watch for, and where to learn more.

Things to watch out for

As you’re learning about the election, note that there are politicians, Political Action Committees and influencers with local, state, and national extremist organizations seeking to sway elections like ours. (Read more about political campaigns in our recent blog post: Who is funding extreme political candidates in Texas?)

We have some incumbents and candidates who serve our community and advocate for public schools and our district. However, we also have candidates in this election who have participated in anti-LGBTQIA activities, the January 6th protest, and book banning activities, have self-identified as Christian Nationalist, been endorsed by anti-LGBTQIA groups, and have fought against funding our schools in recent bond elections.

Some of these individuals have also been engaged in groups that intentionally disrupt board meetings and harass staff, teachers, and students, and share false and misleading information. In particular, note that there are various incorrect statements being made about district enrollment, pay, planning, and financial data. Refer instead to official data sources, including the Leander ISD Demographic Update, Long-Range Planning and Financial Transparency pages and TAPR reports.

Please be an informed voter, seek out credible sources of information rather than political rhetoric, and fact-check the info you receive against other sources.

Know who you’re voting for and make a plan to vote early or on Election Day.

Candidates

Photo and bios submitted by all candidates are available on the Leander ISD Elections website.

Leander ISD Place 3

Leander ISD Place 3 is currently held by Christine Mauer, who is not running for re-election and has endorsed candidate Nekosi Nelson. The candidates for Place 3 are:

Nekosi Nelson

Jim Sneeringer

Leander ISD Place 4

Leander ISD Place 4 is currently held by incumbent Anna Smith, who is running for re-election. The candidates for Place 4 are:

Brandi Burkman

Anna Smith*

Zach Zayner

Leander ISD Place 5

Leander ISD Place 5 is currently held by Sade Fashokun, who is running for re-election. The candidates for Place 5 are:

Gerald Prater

Sade Fashokun*

*Incumbent. Learn more: Leander ISD Board Elections website.

Additional information about the candidates

The following are great resources to read, watch, and learn about candidates.

Leander ISD Council of PTAs

The LISD Council of PTAs hosted a candidate forum on Monday, October 7th at the ACC Cypress Creek campus. The meeting was recorded by students and a replay of the Candidate Forum is available on their YouTube channel.

Participants included Place 3 candidates Nekosi Nelson and Jim Sneeringer, Place 4 Candidates Anna Smith and Zach Zayner, and Place 5 candidate Sade Fashokun. Brandi Burkman and Gerald Prater did not participate.

Watch Replay

Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce & Leander Chamber of Commerce

The Chambers jointly hosted a Candidate Forum sponsored by American Constructors, Pfluger, and O’Connell Robertson at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, October 16th at Facilities Resource Center.

All candidates participated, and the meeting was recorded. A replay is available on the Cedar Park Chamber’s Facebook page.

Watch Replay

Community Impact News

Get to Know the Candidates for Leander ISD Place 3, by Chloe Young

Get to Know the Candidates for Leander ISD Place 4, by Chloe Young

Get to Know the Candidates for Leander ISD Place 5, by Chloe Young

League of Women Voters

The nonpartisan League of Women Voters Austin Area published the League of Women Voter’s Guide for the upcoming election.

The guide includes the places for Leander ISD (page 37-38) and is available on their website in multiple languages, including English and Spanish. You may bring a copy with you into the voting booth to vote.

Election information

  • October 21 – Early voting begins
  • November 5 – Election day

Find your voting locations and information on the Williamson County Elections or Travis County Elections page.

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