Andrew Gonzales is a third-generation educator and fifth generation Austinite. Andrew's grandparents, parents, siblings and extended family are all proud products of AISD. Andrew attended Williams Elementary (where his Mom taught for 26 years), Bedichek Middle, and Dr. W. Charles Akins High.

After graduating from Akins High, Andrew attended UT Austin where he graduated with four degrees in Government, History, International Relations, and Latin American Studies. As a college student, Andrew worked with AISD students as a tutor for the AVID program at Paredes and Bedichek Middle, and Akins and Anderson High. Andrew then followed in his Mom’s footsteps and worked as a History teacher at Travis High and Lively Middle, where he played an integral role in the design of AISD’s first Ethnic Studies curriculum.

While teaching, Andrew continued his advocacy by training others in inclusive, groundbreaking teaching practices by serving as a member and presenter at the National Council for the Social Studies, a Co-operating Student Teacher Supervisor for both Huston-Tillotson University and the University of Texas, and as a sponsor for numerous student clubs and organizations. For his service, Andrew was awarded Teacher Change Maker of the Year, Greater Austin Area by Generation Citizen in 2018, Ally of the Year by the Young Women’s Christian Association in 2019, and Travis Early College High School Teacher of the Year in 2020. Although no longer teaching, Andrew remains dedicated to serving his former students and colleagues through a run for the AISD School Board, District 6.

We know AISD is at a crossroads. Our state's broken school finance system underfunds our most underserved communities again and again. The school to prison pipeline and high-stakes testing punishes our students instead of cultivating their brilliance. On top of attacks on public health and teaching historical truth in our schools, teachers and staff are fighting tooth and nail to barely scrape by in our city.

As a member of the AISD Board of Trustees I am committed to:

• Improving experiences and outcomes for ALL students, especially our Special Education, multilingual and economically disadvantaged populations.
• Prioritizing teacher and staff morale and retention.
• Increasing transparency in district decision making.
• Ensuring mental health support is easily available to staff and students across the district.