Voters in Austin ISD, District 4, will choose their school board trustee on Nov. 3, with early voting running Oct. 19-30. Community Impact asked candidates to share their motivations, priorities, and vision for the district.

Read the full Q&A for details on each candidate's platform ahead of the general election.

Austin has the largest concentration of at-risk homes of any metro area outside California, with more than 100,000 properties and $49.2 billion in reconstruction cost value exposed to wildfire, according to Cotality's 2026 Wildfire Risk Report. 

Travis County remains under a burn ban as hot, dry conditions keep wildfire risk elevated heading into fall.

The ban: Travis County's burn ban has been in effect since Aug. 11, prohibiting outdoor burning countywide, and stays in place until Commissioners Court lifts it. 

Residents can sign up for free burn ban status text alerts by texting TCBURNBAN to 888777.

Why it matters: The county's wildfire preparedness push traces back to the Sept. 4, 2011 Steiner Ranch Fire, which this year marks its 15th anniversary. 

"We don't celebrate this as a celebration," said Robert Abbott of Lake Travis Fire Rescue, "but we do celebrate the fact that we have learned quite a bit from those events," pointing to major gains in staffing, training and technology since then, and current conditions eerily similar to those in 2011.

Travis County is putting more money and more seats behind after-school care this fall.

By the numbers: Only 23% of the county's priority-population students have access to a seat, and just 17% can get into a program running all five days, according to a new landscape analysis from the Andy Roddick Foundation. 

Transportation is families' top barrier, and 72% of sites close by 6 p.m., a mismatch for parents working later shifts. Most programs are built for younger kids, so only 14-15% of seats serve middle and high schoolers, and 1 in 4 sites could close due to funding, space or school closures.

Learn more: Raising Travis County has put $51.7 million into child care and afterschool to date, and Judge Andy Brown says that total has since climbed to $52 million. 

Families earning up to 85% of the state median income may qualify for child care scholarships, with a different threshold for afterschool and summer programs. Providers include the Greater Austin YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs and Foundation Communities.

Check out the latest Austin metro transportation updates from local agencies.

Ongoing projects

Center Street
Project: The street in Kyle will be widened with added curbs, gutters, lighting and sidewalks to both sides of the road, including one shared-use path, between Old Stagecoach Road and Veterans Drive; and adds a new single-lane roundabout. 
Update: Construction began at the 5-way traffic stop at West Center Street and Old Stagecoach Road on July 13. Crews are potholing and building drainage improvements.

• Timeline: fall 2026-fall 2027
• Cost: $10.2 million
• Funding source: 2022 Kyle Road Bond

Completed projects

SH 195 exit ramp
Project: Led by the Texas Department of Transportation, the right lane exit ramp provides direct access to Ronald Reagan Boulevard in Georgetown from northbound SH 195. Previously, drivers had to use a turn lane and cross over southbound lanes. 
Update: Williamson County and TxDOT officials celebrated the opening with a ribbon cutting on Aug. 24.

• Timeline: 2025-26
• Cost: $3.6 million
• Funding source: 2019 Wilco Road Bond