Democrat Gina Hinojosa won Texas's governor race this week, defeating Republican Greg Abbott with about 53% of the vote. She will take office in January. Hinojosa pledged to fire Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath and to end existing state takeovers of school districts, including Fort Worth ISD. Political science experts said fulfilling those promises is less straightforward than it appears.
Fort Worth ISD and Lake Worth ISD have been under state control since March and April. Morath's current term as education commissioner ends Jan. 10. Hinojosa's inauguration is Jan. 19. Hinojosa's campaign did not respond to questions about how firing Morath or ending state takeovers would work, as of Thursday afternoon.
In a statement, the Texas Education Agency said Morath told superintendents he is committed to a smooth transition for the incoming commissioner. Fort Worth ISD said it will keep focusing on students while political circumstances may change. Fort Worth ISD officials also pointed to recent student assessment results and said attendance is up.