David Kauffman, Austin ISD Board Trustee, District 7

06/12/2026

06/05/2026

I have immense respect and appreciation for school librarians and the important contributions they make to student learning, literacy, and love of reading. I have been a librarian supporter and advocate my whole career. I love that Austin has a full-time librarian at every campus and I would like to see that investment continued.

But this is my question: Why does a campus with fewer than 200 students need the same library staffing as a school with 800 students?

Librarians do so much more than scheduling visits by classrooms and shelving books, but these two responsibilities take up a lot of time. Wouldn’t a small school have fewer time demands like these than a large school?

I am ready to listen and learn.

06/05/2026

06/04/2026

05/29/2026

Congratulations Bowie grads!!!

05/24/2026

At Travis ECHS Veterans Monument Veterans Day event yesterday, remembering alumni who gave their lives in service to our country, including L.Cpl. Nicholas S. Perez.

Thank you AP Heather Merritt, travisveterans.org, and Tejanos in Action for making this Memorial Day 🇺🇸 event possible each year.

Videos in comments include
* calling Nick’s name
* Taps

05/21/2026

I appreciated hearing neighborhood voices at the Sunset Valley site repurposing community meeting tonight.
* I heard people share their concerns about a potential sale and what they do and do not want to see happen to the school site.
* One SVE alumna shared a memory of when she was a student here, then said that her children and grandchildren were also Cheetahs. Whatever happens to the property, she will not be able to drive by without feeling the loss.
* My biggest priority for this repurposing has been that AISD engage with the Sunset Valley municipal leaders. I was glad to hear that is also a top community priority and that it sounds as though that is happening. I unfortunately didn’t see him, but I heard Mayor Bruner was at the meeting.

I am grateful that Austin ISD is holding these meetings as part of the site repurposing process.

Read about AISD’s surplus property process and the resulting high score for a fee simple sale of Sunset Valley Elementary property. https://www.austinisd.org/repurposing/sunset-valley

05/18/2026

Becker Pachanga! A bittersweet event combining the annual community celebration with a heartfelt farewell to the Becker School after 90 years of service to the Bouldin Creek community.

* I talked with many people I knew, sharing memories about Becker.
* I met staff, families, students, and alumni from various eras.
* I listened regarding the decision to close the school and forthcoming decisions about what is next for the property.
* I watched people digging through old photos, yearbooks, and photo albums.
* But most of all I watched children having fun — on the talent show stage, at the dunking booth, on the train, and just running around — and I saw adults in fellowship with each other.

Thank you to the Becker School — a special place with special people serving a special purpose in a special community for nearly a century.