Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat, said in her victory speech on Tuesday that she would fire Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on her first day in office. Morath's current appointment expires Jan. 10, nine days before Hinojosa takes office, so she could instead appoint a replacement. Hinojosa said Thursday that her transition team is interviewing candidates. Her nominee would need confirmation from the Republican-controlled Texas Senate.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Morath to lead the Texas Education Agency in January 2016. The agency oversees a public school system serving about 5.5 million students. It distributes state and federal education funding, oversees standardized testing, assigns A-F accountability ratings and can intervene in struggling districts, including by replacing elected school boards with state-appointed managers. Before becoming commissioner, Morath served on the Dallas Independent School District board. He has limited classroom teaching experience.
Hinojosa, a former Austin Independent School District board president, has criticized Morath's leadership and said Texas public schools have struggled under his watch. In October she told The Texas Standard she has nothing against him personally but believes the state needs an educator in the role. She has also said she would pause the A-F rating system, arguing it relies too heavily on a flawed standardized test.