Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott, raising hopes that Austin ISD could avoid a state takeover. Hinojosa served on the Austin ISD board of trustees from 2012 to late 2015, including as president. She has promised to replace Education Commissioner Mike Morath on her first day in office and to end state takeovers of public schools. Her win makes her the first Democratic governor of Texas since 1994.
Education policy experts said a new commissioner would still be bound by state law, which requires intervention. Austin ISD faces a budget crisis and the threat of state intervention after Burnet and Webb middle schools received their fifth failing accountability ratings. The details of any intervention, including whether the state would replace the elected school board or close the two campuses, could depend on the new leadership.
Rachel White, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said that replacing Morath would require confirmation by two-thirds of the senators present in the Texas Senate. Republicans will keep control of the chamber, which she said complicates the path for Hinojosa's nominee. A pending appeal of the accountability ratings could remove the threat of intervention by December, before Hinojosa takes office.