Integrity, experience & leadership for the Manor ISD!

For eight years, Dr. Mathias served on the Austin ISD Board of Trustees, where he oversaw $12.4 billion of taxpayer dollars for the 86,000 students & 11,000 employees of Austin’s 130 public schools (2012-2020).
Dr. Mathias helped pass two bond elections for the Austin ISD totaling $1.54 billion (2013 & 2017).
Dr. Mathias currently serves as Executive Director of the Texas Latino School Boards Association (2021 to present), which has awarded over 300 scholarships to the graduates of our Texas public schools, and on the Advisory Council of the College of Education at The University of Austin (2022 to present).
For two years, Dr. Mathias represented the Austin ISD on the City of Austin Planning Commission (2015-2017). He also served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB, 2015-2020), on the Steering Committee of the National School Boards Association Council of Urban Boards of Education (2017-2020), and as Executive Director of the Mexican American School Boards Association (2017-2021).
Dr. Mathias was honored as a Master Trustee by the Texas Association of School Boards (2015).
Dr. Mathias has published ten books on education, including the renowned Seats at the Table: School Board Members’ Perspectives on Race & Racism (2020), Pandemic Public School Perspectives: The Response of Texas Education Leader to Exacerbated Inequities (2021) and The State of Texas’ Failure to Provide an Equitable Education to Latinx Students (2022).
Dr. Mathias co-founded three learning centers in Austin (including Todos Juntos), served as President of San Juan Diego Catholic High School “The School That Works” (2005-2008), pastored Cristo Rey Catholic Church in East Austin (2009-2011), and has pastored Holy Family Catholic Church since 2012.
An Eagle Scout & high school valedictorian, Dr. Mathias has earned seven degrees, including his Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies (2011).
For ten years, Dr. Mathias has shared his time as a volunteer mentor & tutor for elementary, middle and high school students through Academy 4, Austin Partners in Education & Seedling Foundation (since 2014).

Dr. Mathias’ Top Five Initiatives for the Manor ISD

1. Put Kids First. Dr. Mathias is “running for the right reason”: our kids & grandkids! Rather than pay them lip service—charter schools routinely program all teachers to refer to even five-year-olds as “scholars”—let’s ensure that our kids & grandkids are equipped with the essential knowledge & skills for college, career, military & life success!

2. Improve Student Outcomes. The Manor ISD is largely failing our kids. 30% of 3rd-graders could read at grade level in 2023; only 24% are at grade level now. 31% of 3rd-graders were at grade level in math in 2023; only 19% are at grade level today. The data are trending in the wrong direction, and we must place a laser focus on student outcomes!

3. Increase Parental Supports. Parenting is not easy—yet parents are the primary educators of their children. Public schools are more than daycare: We must empower parents, equip them with the skills & resources to better assist their children, & more deeply involve them in the educational process!

4. Offer Competitive Compensation. To ensure excellence, we must attract and retain high-quality employees at all levels & in all positions. Working with kids isn't always easy: Let’s ensure that all our employees thrive: teachers, aides, facilities, nutrition, nurses, transportation, student resource officers, paraprofessionals, counselors, librarians, office staff & administrators!

5. Put the Brakes on Board Drama. Historically a hotbed of adult drama & dysfunction, the Manor ISD Board of Trustees is currently under oversight by the Texas Education Agency. This is unacceptable. Dr. Mathias will ensure that the necessary policies and practices are in place to ensure an effective, high-performing board—and to get the Manor ISD out of TEA oversight!

A Concrete Proposal regarding Board Dysfunction

Certain persons and forces oppose Dr. Mathias, because he challenges the status quo and advocates for systemic change.

The Manor ISD Board of Trustees, for instance, has been plagued by longstanding dysfunction. Rumors abound in the community regarding trustees' public (mis)behavior, self-dealing, perceived conflicts of interest, violations of the Texas Open Meetings act, lack of response to public information requests, misuse of taxpayer funds, and even suspected criminal activity.

Dr. Mathias recalls how he and his colleagues on the Austin ISD Board of Trustees would roll their eyes and shake their heads at each public scandal of the Manor ISD Board of Trustees, which ultimately led the Texas Education Agency to place the Manor ISD Board under oversight in 2020.

In the meantime, student performance suffers: Only 2% of Black Manor ISD 7th-graders were reading or performing math at grade level in spring 2024, and the Manor ISD now faces the threat of a takeover of its democratically-elected Board of Trustees by the Texas Education Agency due to poor student performance—similar to what happened to the Houston ISD, the state’s largest public school district, in 2016-2023.

To restore integrity to the Manor ISD Board of Trustees and create systemic change, Dr. Mathias proposes the adoption of a “Manor ISD Board Code of Conduct and Covenant with the Taxpayers of Manor.”