With Gina Hinojosa’s election, Fort Worth ISD's path to regain local control looks smoother

Fort Worth ISD's path to regaining local control may have gotten faster. That's if Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa can deliver on a campaign promise to end state takeovers.

Some parents took to the polls in Tarrant County , which emerged as a key battleground, with the fate of the district weighing on their minds. Amid a controversial state intervention, Hinojosa's vows to roll back many of Gov. Greg Abbott's educational priorities resonated, they say, and her historic win has renewed optimism for the future of Texas public schools.

Related: 5 things Gina Hinojosa plans for public education in Texas

"The direction the TEA has been going has been the wrong direction," said Zach Leonard, president of Families Organized and Responding to Takeover, a local advocacy group."This is repudiation of that."

It's unclear how quickly Hinojosa can fulfill her pledge to end state interventions — or to what success. Regardless, families are invigorated by the prospect of change.

Last year, Fort Worth ISD fell under state control, after a campus received its fifth consecutive failing grade in the A-F accountability ratings. The Texas Education Agency replaced elected trustees with appointed managers and selected a new superintendent, Peter Licata.

The intervention has been marked by turmoil, after the new administration introduced sweeping changes. Parents have called for greater transparency, teachers have left in an exodu s, and students have complained about spelling and translation errors in learning materials.

Related: Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa vows to undo Texas school vouchers and takeovers

Repealing a decade-old law

The state's ability to take over struggling school districts is enshrined in a decade-old law . Repealing or amending it won't be easy.

Hinojosa could face pushback from some Democrats, who believe state takeovers are an effective way to turn around a struggling district. The author of the law is, in fact, a Democrat from Houston, state Rep. Harold Dutton.

Related:

State takeovers are coming for Tarrant County schools. This decade-old law is why

The law does need more nuance, said Jo Beth Jimerson, a Texas Christian University professor of educational leadership. Officials should have a range of options to help struggling districts — from more robust public school funding to increased training for teachers.

"If you have 100 campuses and one of those campuses is perpetually failing, it's not a reason to take over 100 campuses," she said.

To change the law, Hinojosa would need to find common ground with Republicans, Jimerson said. Both parties have seen the law's "unintended effects," she said.

"Texas has never been a very friendly place for people who just want the state to control everything," she said.

A new TEA commissioner could bring swift change

Hinojosa could enact immediate change by appointing a new TEA commissioner. She has vowed to replace Commissioner Mike Morath, a software developer and former Dallas ISD trustee, with an educator.

The new commissioner would have "a lot of say" in how policies and legislation are implemented, Jimerson said. They would decide who oversees the districts under state control and determine the scope of those hires' responsibilities. A Republican-dominated state Senate still needs to confirm Hinojosa's selection.

A campus receiving a failing grade for five consecutive years triggers the commissioner to step in. But it's up to the commissioner to decide whether to order the district to shutter that campus — or replace the elected trustees with appointed managers.

For several of Texas' urban districts, Morath chose the latter option. Houston ISD has been under state control since 2023. Austin ISD, where Hinojosa once served as a trustee, is under the threat of a takeover. Lake Worth ISD, in Tarrant County, also was taken over earlier this year.

Hinojosa did not immediately respond to The Dallas Morning News ' questions about her ideas on how to support failing schools in lieu of a state takeover. She previously told the Houston Chronicle that she would establish "community schools," turning campuses into neighborhood hubs with support from local businesses and nonprofits.

"We should keep an eye on the degree to which she is able to affect change by working across the aisle … [and] what kind of compromises she's willing to make to move education forward," Jimerson said.

Between now and January, when Hinojosa will be sworn in, Fort Worth ISD parents say they're trying to stop appointed leaders from executing large decisions. Sabrina Ball, a parent, is waiting in anticipation, saying Hinojosa will be "light years better" than Abbott.

Related: Texas school takeover tracker: Who's under TEA control and who's at risk

A manager is "just a caretaker," Ball said. "Don't sell any property, don't make any big changes, don't spend taxpayer money."

Following Tuesday's astonishing results, the Fort Worth ISD board of managers met, business as usual.

They discussed goals for academic outcomes and guardrails for the superintendent on Wednesday evening. Those priorities were informed by a community-wide survey sent out earlier this fall.

Perhaps, Ball said, the election was the more resounding referendum.

"You got the result of the ultimate listening survey last night," Ball said. "You're fired."

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab's journalism .

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This article originally published at With Gina Hinojosa's election, Fort Worth ISD's path to regain local control looks smoother .