Can New Governor Gina Hinojosa Save Austin ISD From State Takeover?

“In case you have not heard, on day one, I will fire Mike Morath, and we will work tirelessly to repair the damage of the Texas vouchers scam and end an era in which our schools are sold for parts,” Gina Hinojosa declared at a rally Tuesday, her voice carrying the weight of a promise that could redraw the map of Texas education governance.

Hours earlier, the Democrat and former Austin ISD trustee had stunned Texas politics by defeating Gov. Greg Abbott, becoming the state’s first Democratic governor since 1994, Austin Current reported. The victory hands Hinojosa the keys to a governor’s mansion that could determine whether Austin ISD escapes a state takeover—or merely changes the flavor of one.

Gina Hinojosa gives victory speech after defeating incumbent Greg Abbott in Texas governor’s race

The Law Remains, Even as Leadership Changes

Hinojosa served on the Austin ISD board of trustees from 2012 to late 2015, including a stint as president, and she enters office with intimate knowledge of the district now facing intervention. Burnet and Webb middle schools triggered Texas’s mandatory intervention law after receiving their fifth failing accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency, putting the district on a collision course with state takeover. But replacing Education Commissioner Mike Morath—whom Abbott appointed in December 2015—would not erase the statutes that compel state action.

The math of confirmation complicates Hinojosa’s day-one pledge. While Democrat Vikki Goodwin won the lieutenant governor’s race to preside over the Senate, Republicans retain control of the chamber, and confirming a new commissioner requires approval from two-thirds of the senators present. Rachel White, associate professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Education, observed that Hinojosa’s promise might be interpreted as refusing to reappoint Morath and instead naming a replacement, though that route passes directly through a Senate controlled by Republicans.

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“It’s going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to modify Texas education code,” White said.

Discretion Within the Statute

Still, the commissioner’s chair is not a ceremonial seat. Duncan Klussmann, a clinical associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Houston, concurred that a fresh commissioner might substantially shape Austin ISD’s trajectory even if the statutes remain unchanged. Where the state has recently leaned toward seizing entire districts, a new appointee might instead elect to close the chronically failing campuses and collaborate with local leaders on what comes next.

“The commissioner in place is a critical piece in these decision making aspects of the law, and I think that is an area where there is probably some discretion on what closure really looks like, what it means and how the state carries that out,” Klussmann said.

Timing adds another layer of uncertainty. A pending appeal of the accountability ratings could remove the threat of intervention entirely by December, before Hinojosa takes office in January. Meanwhile, parent petitions advocating for the closure of Burnet and Webb have yet to be validated or submitted to the state, leaving an open question that could steer whatever action the TEA ultimately takes. The Texas Education Agency’s parent petition guidance outlines the procedural path those families would need to follow.

Texas state representative gina hinojosa candidate gives her victory speech at the texas democrats election night party austi

Families See an Opening, Not a Guarantee

Candace Hunter, who won her second term on the Austin ISD board Tuesday, framed the moment as a chance to redirect state power rather than eliminate it.

“Governor-elect Hinojosa has a promise to keep,” Hunter said. “I’m not opposed to state intervention — What district would turn away a helping hand? But the current system seeks to displace and destroy.”

Ken Zarifis, co-president of the district employees union Education Austin and a parent at one of the schools facing closure, spent recent weeks organizing petition drives to close the failing schools and avoid a districtwide takeover. Now he says the political situation has changed.

Gina Hinojosa beats Greg Abbott and James Talarico defeats Ken Paxton in Texas, CBS News projects

“We’ll have a different rule come January,” Zarifis said. “It’ll be a different day. And we have to figure out what to do with the law and what to do with what we have to do but we know it’s going to be different than what we’re facing now.”

Lily McClure, whose sons attend Hill Elementary and Murchison Middle School, campaigned for Hinojosa and other candidates who prioritized public education, driven by frustration over budget deficits and program cuts.

“The egregiousness of starving a public school system when we are just sitting on mounds of wealth as a state is negligent,” McClure said. “It’s absolutely disgusting.”

Whether Hinojosa can deliver on her promise to reshape intervention depends on a Senate that remains out of her party’s hands, an appeal that may or may not succeed, and a statute that still demands action. But for the families of Burnet and Webb, the difference between a governor who appoints a commissioner willing to work with the district and one who dismantles it may be the difference between a school closing and a community surviving.