Round Rock ISD accepts resignation of Trustee Xiao, opens applications for his seat
The Round Rock school board on Tuesday officially accepted the resignation of Trustee Jun Xiao and to appoint someone to fill the his Place 1 seat until the next school board election in November.
Both votes were 5-0. The school board will accept applications from residents who live in the school district boundary and want to be considered for the Place 1 seat through July 12. No timeline was given as to when an individual will be appointed.
The appointee will serve the remainder of the term through 2024, according to district officials.
Xiao announced via a Facebook post on June 7 that he had submitted his letter of resignation to the board. He did not say why he was resigning but apologized to the Round Rock community for leaving the position with unfinished business and for letting his anger and frustration get the best of him. Xiao would regularly clash with trustees Mary Bone and Danielle Weston at board meetings.
MORE: Round Rock school board Trustee Jun Xiao resigns
Xiao first announced his intent to resign in a Facebook post on Aug. 25 after the district voted 5-2 to allow for a mask op-out option for students and staff. He cited frustration with the district for not upholding a firmer mask mandate sooner and the division the issue caused.
He announced his intent to resign again on Jan. 28 in a Facebook post. In that post, Xiao stated his resignation was not due to the board's vote to conclude the investigation into Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez. Instead he indicated his original decision to leave had been delayed for several reasons, most prominently the pandemic.
MORE: Round Rock school board Trustee Jun Xiao resigns
The district also will host six informational sessions for those interested in running for a board position in November.
The sessions will take place on the following dates:
• July 20 – Westwood High School Library Great Room, 10-11:30 a.m.
• July 20 – McNeil High School Cafeteria, 1-2:30 p.m.
• July 20 – Round Rock High School 100 Lecture Hall, 6-7:30 p.m.
• July 21 – Cedar Ridge High School cafeteria, 9-10:30 a.m.
• July 21 – virtual meeting – Noon to 1:30 p.m.
• July 21 – Stony Point High School cafeteria, 3-4:30 p.m.
The application filing period for the November election is open July 25 through Aug. 22, according to the district's website.
Former Austin City Council Member Don Zimmerman announced on June 13 that he would be running in November for the Round Rock school board Place 6 seat held by Tiffanie Harrison.
Orlando Salinas, a chief financial officer at Zoon Contracting and Consulting, also announced in a Facebook post on June 15 that he will be running for a place in the the Round Rock school board. He did not specify which seat he would be seekinging.
MORE: Round Rock school board Trustee Jun Xiao resigns
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Round Rock ISD accepts resignation of Trustee Jun Xiao, opens applications for his seat
