School board vacancy remains in limbo after Del Valle officials can't agree on appointment
For more than six months, District 2 residents in the Del Valle school district have been without representation on the school board after Damián Pantoja was removed from his office in June when he filed paperwork affirming his residency in another school district. And with the school board in disagreement over whom to appoint to the seat, there's no clear path forward to filling the vacancy.
On Monday night, school board members could not agree on whom to appoint to the seat from among the two candidates up for consideration — Pantoja and David Albert, who has previously sought the office.
In the board vote to appoint Albert, only members Richard Rendon and Ann Heuberger supported him. In a separate vote to reinstate Pantoja, only members Matt Worthington, Darla Wegner and Susanna Ledesma Woody agreed. Board member Shaira Ramzanali abstained from both votes, and neither candidate received enough support to clinch a majority victory.
District officials told the American-Statesman on Tuesday that the board will consult with its attorney to figure out next steps.
The District 2 seat has been vacant since June, when Pantoja got a homestead exemption on a property within the Austin school district, which effectively disqualified him for the Del Valle office. The school board that month voted to acknowledge the vacancy, but district officials at the time said Pantoja had been automatically removed when he sought the homestead exemption outside the district.
School board members must live within the district they represent. A homestead exemption claims a property as the owner’s primary residence.
At the time, Pantoja’s lawyer said seeking the homestead exemption had been a mistake and that Pantoja continued living in the Del Valle district.
Pantoja was initially appointed to the board in 2019 to fill a vacant seat, and then he won the election for the District 2 seat in 2020 with 66% support. At the time, he was running against Albert, who is now again seeking the District 2 seat.
Pantoja said Tuesday that he wants the board to call a special election to fill the vacancy.
“I'm hoping that they vote in favor of what the voters have already done,” Pantoja said.
When a school board seat becomes vacant, the board must fill the office within 180 days if there is more than a year remaining in the term, according to the Texas Education Code. The District 2 seat isn't up for election until November.
The school board can either appoint a new member or call a special election, according to the education code.
The Texas Education Agency also told the American-Statesman it wasn’t involved in the situation and that officials couldn’t speculate on any future action.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin area school board vacancy still in limbo after six months
