On February 17, the Board of Trustees for the Dallas Independent School District chose the firms JG Consulting and Walsh Gallegos to assist in searching for their next superintendent. According to the press release, they will also be part of the community outreach process.
The current Dallas ISD superintendent, Michael Hinojosa, announced in January that he would be retiring, closing a 13-year chapter as superintendent.
Hinojosa spent 42 years working in education and public school systems. He worked as a coach, teacher, assistant principal, and central office staff member throughout his career.
“It’s been one of the proudest moments in my life to do this work bringing innovation, equity, collaboration, and achievement to the forefront of urban education,” Hinojosa said when he announced on January 13 that he would be vacating the position.
“Today is bittersweet because it’s been such an honor to work alongside some of the sharpest minds and talents. My departure comes at this time, knowing the team is poised to move the district into the 22nd century. As a young immigrant growing up in Oak Cliff, education was always the great equalizer. Now more than ever, let’s look to the future with hope and aspiration when shaping the lives of our next generation.”
Several Dallas officials shared their sentiments about Hinojosa’s career and departure after he announced his imminent resignation last month.
“Dr. Hinojosa’s partnership during multiple crises including the relocation of students impacted by Hurricane Harvey, the 2019 tornado, and the COVID-19 global pandemic was essential in ensuring our county response was effective,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said. “There is nothing better than having a person leading a major city organization who is willing to be a collaborative partner when the going gets tough. I’m happy to have had the chance to work with him for so many years.”
According to Dallas ISD, Hinojosa worked with Jenkins on several community issues.
“The Dallas Public School system has seen its share of dynamic changes in demographics, personnel, and paradigm shifts. Not to mention, its operation under a court order,” Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price said. “However, Dr. Hinojosa has been the principal visionary throughout the district’s most challenging periods. Your ability to create strong teams and deploy superior talent has made all the difference.”
However, not all members of the community spoke of Hinojosa so glowingly; he garnered much criticism throughout his career, and it ended no differently.
In stark opposition to Hinojosa’s claims that he “brought equity,” Ndure Cain of Dallas Justice Now asserted the former superintendent did nothing of the sort.
“Hinojosa called himself a reformer but failed to deal with some of the major issues impacting the racial disparity in education outcomes,” said Cain.
Much controversy also resulted from Hinojosa’s approach to COVID-19 precautions, especially his decision to maintain mask requirements in Dallas ISD in spite of Governor Abbott’s prohibitive executive order.
Ethan Sabo, founder and president of Mission: DFW, told The Dallas Express, “It was clear Hinojosa didn’t care about the health and safety of Dallas ISD students. His only concern was how many political points he could score with the Dallas County Democrat party. Michael Hinojosa spent the last 13 years at DISD grooming his political future.”
Hinojosa is one of 10 North Texas superintendents this school year who have announced their plans to leave the job.
Shannon Holmes, the Executive Director for the Association of Texas Professional Educators, told Fox the turnover in education this year is “especially high, especially in the DFW area.”
In the press conference during which he initially announced his resignation, Hinojosa stated he would remain in the position until his replacement had been located and the transition had been made. He later specified that he would be leaving the position at the end of this calendar year.
According to the Dallas ISD press release, JG Consulting has managed over 150 successful executive-level nationwide searches over the past seven years. Walsh Gallegos has dedicated 38 years to representing public schools in Texas and New Mexico.
Both firms will be searching for and identifying candidates, but the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees will have the final say in who the next superintendent is.