Lubbock ISD trustee John Weddige resigned from the district’s Board of Trustees during Thursday’s scheduled school board meeting, creating a vacancy in District 5 and leaving the remaining board members to determine how his seat will be filled.
Weddige represented District 5, which covers portions of west and northwest Lubbock.
Weddige resigned the during the citizen comment portion of the meeting, saying he is stepping down to attend to family responsibilities. Weddige expressed gratitude to his fellow trustees for their support and for the opportunity to serve alongside them. Board President Nancy Sharp said Lubbock ISD will miss Weddige’s leadership, adding that he served with “great compassion.” Other trustees also thanked Weddige for his service and expressed understanding that his family must be his priority at this time.
His departure comes during a consequential period for Lubbock ISD as trustees continue dealing with enrollment changes, district finances, aging facilities and decisions surrounding the future use and consolidation of school campuses.
Weddige has been an outspoken advocate for greater community involvement in those decisions.
Earlier this year, as trustees adopted a new process governing future school closures and consolidations, Weddige urged residents to become involved before major decisions reach the board for a final vote.
“What I hate to see up here is the engagement comes when a decision is being made that night, or when a decision has already been made,” Weddige said at the time. “Be a part of the conversation.”
Weddige is also a Lubbock ISD parent and has been involved in some of the district’s more contentious recent discussions. During debate this summer over library materials and state requirements governing school libraries, Weddige defended the district’s review procedures as an effort to comply with state law.
Outside the school district, Weddige is a longtime Lubbock banker. He currently serves as senior vice president and Lubbock president of Western Bank.
His involvement with the Lubbock ISD board predates his election as trustee.
Weddige was among nine people who applied in 2022 for an earlier vacancy in the District 5 seat. Trustees ultimately selected Kristopher Zepeda to fill that vacancy.
What happens next
Texas law gives the remaining Lubbock ISD trustees two primary options for filling Weddige’s seat.
Under Section 11.060 of the Texas Education Code, trustees may appoint someone to fill the vacancy until the district’s next trustee election. Instead of making an appointment, the board may order a special election to allow District 5 voters to choose a replacement.
If more than one year remains in the vacated term, state law requires the vacancy to be filled within 180 days.
Lubbock ISD has used the appointment process before.
When the District 5 seat became vacant in 2022, the district accepted applications from interested residents before trustees selected Zepeda from a field of nine applicants.
The board could follow a similar process following Weddige’s resignation, although trustees have not yet announced how they intend to proceed.
Lubbock ISD’s seven-member Board of Trustees serves as the district’s policymaking body. Trustees are elected from separate districts and serve staggered four-year terms.
Weddige’s resignation leaves District 5 without an elected representative while the board determines the next step.
Lubbock Lights will update this story as additional information becomes available.
