Early Votes Put Dille, Solis Ahead in AISD
Early totals favor Sarah Dille in District 6 and Laurie Solis in District 7, and final Election Day counts could still change them.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Administration
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Early voting results put Sarah Dille ahead in Austin ISD's District 6 school board race and Laurie Solis ahead in District 7, as voters in South and Southwest Austin weigh who will sit on a district board wrestling with a deficit. Early totals can still shift as Election Day ballots are counted.
Why it matters
Whoever wins will help steer a district facing a fiscal deficit and the threat of a state takeover, decisions that reach every family's school options and the classroom budget. The closure of Paredes Middle School just before this school year shows how quickly those choices can change where kids in South Austin go to school.
Early voting shows Dille at 60% in District 6 and Solis at 60% in District 7, out of nine seats on the Austin ISD board. Those percentages are early-vote totals and will move as Election Day ballots are counted.
The players
Austin Independent School District
The Austin ISD is the public school district serving Austin, currently facing a fiscal deficit and the threat of a state takeover.
Texas Education Agency
The TEA is the state agency that oversees public schools and assigns accountability ratings, and it reassigned Paredes Middle School's failing history program to Bailey Middle School.
Sarah Dille
Dille is a candidate for the Austin ISD board in District 6 who leads early voting with 60% of the total there.
Laurie Solis
Solis is a candidate for the Austin ISD board in District 7 who leads early voting with 60% of the total there.
The details
Early voting totals place Sarah Dille, a 48-year-old with 25 years in education, at 60% in District 6, ahead of Marie Lebron and Alex San Martin at 20% each. In District 7, Laurie Solis leads Jimmy Counihan with 60% of early votes. Austin ISD administrators closed Paredes Middle School weeks before the school year to avoid a fifth failing accountability rating, and the Texas Education Agency reassigned its failing history program to Bailey Middle School, a B-rated campus in District 7 that absorbed most of Paredes' students.
Timeline
This school year (2026-27): Paredes Middle School closed weeks before the first day of classes.
This school year (2026-27): Bailey Middle School must earn a D or higher from the TEA to avoid triggering the state's intervention law.
November 3, 2026: Early voting totals for the Austin ISD school board races were released.
The Texas Context
Texas's accountability system lets a run of failing ratings trigger state intervention, which is the pressure behind Austin ISD's decision to close Paredes Middle School. The Bailey Middle School rating now carries that same weight, a pattern that shapes this school board race as much as the budget itself.
If you live in South or Southwest Austin, the board seat you help decide will shape how the district handles Bailey Middle School's rating and any further school closures. Watch for the final Election Day tally, since early numbers can still move before the results are settled.
The takeaway
Keep an eye on Bailey Middle School's TEA rating this year, because a D or higher is what keeps the state's intervention law from being triggered. Check the final Election Day results once they are certified, since early voting totals are not the final word.
Further reading
For the broader picture of how the district is run, explore Administration coverage across Austin schools.
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