AISD trustee Robert Schneider passes away

Austin Independent School District officials announced the death of school board member Robert Schneider, who passed away surrounded by his family Tuesday morning. Schneider was one of the longest-serving trustees on the current school board. He was elected to the board of trustees in 2002 and dedicated 13 years of service as the District 7 trustee. He served as chair of AISD’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee for Policy and Process Review for Site-Based Decision-Making. In 2013, he was elected to represent AISD as a member of the board of directors of the Texas Association of School Boards. Schneider retired from the University of Texas at Austin after 30 years of research in parallel computing systems. He was actively involved in the community, serving on numerous neighborhood, environmental and school committees and task forces. His primary interests included promoting academic achievement and studying models of board governance, according to a district press release. “AISD students and families were served well by Trustee Schneider’s vision and passion. Our school community has lost a great leader,” said AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz. Schneider is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and his four children, who graduated from AISD schools.