and numerous friends and relatives from Houston, Texas. Fabens a small school district 30 miles southeast of El Paso gave him a shot. As for friends, there is no question about his loyalty to Kinwood. Hinojosas new position allows him to get back to what he loves: teaching and coaching. The district had five superintendents in six years. Michael D Hinojosa was born on February 3, 1990, and died at age 14 years old on July 29, 2004. Dallas ISD has multiple programs in place to help students catch up and minimize learning loss. I dont want to just sell stuff and I cant stay home.. It's an incredibly brazen and divisive move: The same trustees who sat on their hands as the district blew past its budget now want to suspend elections like a military junta angling to stifle democratic dissent. But she wished he had taken stronger stances on supporting teachers, specifically by eliminating the districts new salary system and ensuring educators COVID-19 retention bonuses were handed out sooner. Hinojosa was already the district's leader from 2005 to 2011. The school board later voted 6-1 to eliminate the symbol. But more importantly, as we celebrate Michael's beautiful spirit and love, we look to you to give meaning to what we know- covering even what we don't understand. Hinojosa's job, meanwhile, is not in dangerat least not tonight. This afternoon he's expected to touch on districtwide achievements made during the past year such as the new iLearn Virtual School -- a standalone virtual school offering anytime, self-paced instruction for students in Grades 3 through 9, and ultimately Grades K-12. the average Hinojosa family member Oh, I came on too strong, Hinojosa admits. In 1991, when he was just 1 year old, on January 16th, Allied forces began the first phase of Operation Desert Storm. The program was developed as a response to keep teachers in the classroom after many left during the COVID-19 pandemic. And none of those were on my calendar.. a Education writer (and part-time HS sportswriter) for The Dallas Morning News. Other board members, particularly those who have professed support for the superintendent, look as if they're witnessing an execution. But now that they're creeping into the suburbs and other areas, it is wearing people down. For more than an hour, they talked and ate while Hinojosa took notes. The previous Saturday, people also picketed outside Hinojosa's North Dallas home, but a neighbor told them he had left after learning they were on the way. Hinojosa and his wife Kitty have two sons, graduates of Princeton and Harvard universities. He holds the honor of being the longest-serving superintendent in Dallas ISD history. He resigned in 2011, after serving as superintendent for six years. You go back two years, so October of '19, we had a tornado," Hinojosa said. "Theres going to be a significant impact, but you cant worry about things that are out of your control. His career in public education, from teacher and coach . Of course there have been some things that Ive had issues with, but overall I think the district has moved in a positive direction, she said. Through Junior High and High School he played the saxophone in band. Share highlights of Michael's life. If they ask me Ill have an answer, but that'll be confidential because the whole superintendent's selection process is confidential. One area where the district still struggles, however, is student achievement. But after his coaching career had run its course Adamson eventually did make the playoffs, and even beat 1987 state champs Hillcrest during the regular season Hinojosa couldnt get a sniff at an administrative position in Dallas. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. One of those five is board president Jack Lowe, who has stymied efforts from the three black trustees to bring a no-confidence measure against Hinojosa. Hinojosa is well known in Dallas. She was awarded the UT-Austin Dr. Nolan Estes Leadership Ascension Award five times, most recently in 2022, and earned a Presidential Medal from Ana G. Mendez University. He is also a product of the system, having graduated from Sunset High School in Oak Cliff. Bill Zeeble has been a full-time reporter at KERA since 1992, covering everything from medicine to the Mavericks and education to environmental issues. The Dallas Morning Newsstated that this damaged his period of leadership. The car she was riding in was trying to evade the paparazzi but it was also discovered later that the driver of the car, who was also killed, had three times the legal limit of alcohol which likely contributed to the accident. But Hinojosa can be a bit of a geek. Some things we may never know. Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa was supposed to stay with the district through the end of 2022 to help his successor learn the ropes. The average age of a Hinojosa family member is 68. Superintendent on working to appease both sides of the school reopening debate. He pushed for the expansion of the districts choice campuses, understanding the competitive nature of public school options brought on by the massive growth of charter schools in southern Dallas. He arrived in Texas at about age 2 when his minister father moved his family of five sons and five. Hinojosa left his spot as Dallas ISD superintendent to take on the top job at a school district near Atlanta. He even lived in The Village Apartments where Billionaire Mark Cuban once lived, and I think I lived in just about every apartment complex in east Dallas, among many others. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. Get the week's most popular posts straight to your email inbox. Itd be easy to excuse the superintendent, at the tail end of his 13th year running DISD, for having filled the room with piles of papers, messy bookshelves or overstuffed bankers boxes totems that would point to his four-decade education career. But this time around, there will be an incumbent, so well see how it goes., He adds, I was a government teacher back in the day, so even though I havent been in politics, I know a lot about it.. He has season tickets to the Mavericks and goes to the games with friends and family members. Hinojosa was one of 10 superintendents in North Texas to announce they're stepping down in just four months. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He left there three years ago and returned to Texas, most recently working as an education consultant for a private firm. Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa Leaving District by End of 2022. Add Michael's family friends, and his friends from childhood through adulthood. Only 13% of the districts eighth graders were proficient in reading, and 15% were proficient in math, according to 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, results. A lesson learned in Hays would follow him to Dallas: There are times when you need to slow down to go faster later, Hinojosa said. While some computer systems and software did have problems, the panic was unfounded and computer life went on. Hinojosa said, when he returned, the focus was on implementing good ideas. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. When asked what hes most proud of during his stops in Dallas, Hinojosa mentioned two programs that best resonated with his experience growing up in the district: development of the districts bilingual program in his first stint, and the creation of workskill and early college high schools throughout the district in his second tenure. Select the pencil to add details. Dr. Michael Hinojosa, who served as the superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District from 2005-2011 and again since 2015, is expected to soon announce his intent to retireperhaps. Marin Wolf. Within 100 hours, American ground troops declared Kuwait liberated. Theyve been married 33 years. Im getting to help superintendents all over the country. He is survived by his wife Jody E. Hinojosa. Thank you. He would have been trying to become the citys first Hispanic mayor. SOLD FEB 10, 2023. His pride and joy, Jessica, don't ever doubt, you were loved! Michael John Hinojosa, born in San Antonio, TX, went to be with the Lord on March 15, 2015 at the age of 56 years. He continued to attend Dallas public. The superintendent chose the latter, defying Gov. For a boy who grew up in a Mexican immigrant family in Oak Cliff, this perch leading his hometown school district, the states second largest was hard to fathom. Dallas trustees were largely complementary of Hinojosas performance over the past six years, named to the role after serving as an interim leader when Mike Miles abruptly left the district in spring 2015. Greg Abbotts turf, A day after powerful thunderstorms, North Texas surveys the damage, 3 children killed, 2 wounded at Ellis County home; suspect in custody, How a Texas districts reaction to school shooting fears highlights discipline concerns, Carrollton man advertised pills on social media to entice teens to buy fentanyl, feds say. "In our context, our parents need to work and our kids need to learn," Hinojosa said. It's a chilly, gusty mid-November evening, and outside the headquarters of the Dallas Independent School District, 30 or so protesters have gathered. Dr. Michael Hinojosa served more than 27 years as a superintendent/CEO of six public education systems, including two of the 25 largest school systems in America, Dallas ISD in Texas and the Cobb County School District in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. He's rushing his words a bit and occasionally even makes eye contact with the audience. Please enter valid email address to continue. In 1999, when he was just 9 years old, the fear that Y2K (year 2000) would cause the failure of computers worldwide when clocks didn't properly update to January 1st, 2000 became near panic. Current assistant superintendent Susanna Cordova was named by sources as the most likely successor. He resigned from Cobb County in 2014. Of the things that I'm disappointed in - I haven't fixed procurement. In the early days of his term, some criticized the $89.5 million bond the largest in district history for being over the top. BY ANCESTRY.COM. When he returned for Hinojosa 2.0, Birdwell said he met her at a Cafe Brazil to hear out concerns. They were married for sixty five years and formed a distinguished family of five sons and five daughters. Despite being initially skeptical of DISDs teacher pay-for-performance system, Hinojosa now is one of its loudest proponents, touting it as an example for other Texas districts. Accelerating learning to make up those losses must be the top priority for the districts next leader, Hinojosa said. With the termination of his contract, which had been scheduled to run out August 2024, came the space and time for the Dallas native to prepare for a potential run for office. Matthew, always remember, you were loved! Tonight he's giving his monthly report, and the news, at least from the classroom, is terrific. Magdalena M . He may have left DISD once again before his contract ended, but he hasnt left the district in poor shape. But he says, Its always good to go when you can leave on your own terms, and for him, at 65, the time is now. Adamson High School in south Dallas and made frequent moves all over the city for different positions in different schools. Our procurement process is still hard to deal with. And in Dallas County, we have a lot of vacancies for superintendent right now. Brother of Ricky (Julie), Randy (Susan), Kathy Hinojosa Brown and the late Michael. My sole focus for the next six months will be as superintendent of the Dallas ISD, to make sure we land this plane for this year, in the pandemic. That lasting legacy will show just how much Hinojosa shaped Dallas for years to come, trustees say. During their married life, Amado and Lupita worked diligently in the ministry. So I think it has an impact and I'm not going to apologize for being outspoken. Within minutes, I wanted this job, he said. Thats how I have to have it, Hinojosa said. Rena Honea, the head of the largest teachers association, praised Hinojosa on the eve of his expected retirement announcement. I'm also very proud of our dual language program. Like most urban school districts, DISD has been hit hard by the pandemic, as COVID-19 placed a disproportionate burden on families in poverty and people of color. The occurrence of Hinojosa has changed over time. So to conclude, as you visit with Michael's family and friends, you come away with a sense of his true, inner, nature - a special place in his heart for the confused, the perplexed, the lost, the distressed, the despairing. On two occasions, a police officer has to make his presence felt as audience members repeatedly shout "Lowe must go." So, having taken that close look and deciding not to go was surprising, Jillson said. Dr. Hinojasa has led Dallas ISD for 13 years -- during two different . Jaime K. Garcia See Photos. Long-time Dallas superintendent Michael Hinojosa this week said he would step down from the job he's held since 2015. You dont get better by going to a workshop, he says, Its the coaching that helps.. His focus through December will be helping set the district up for success and keeping the transition to his next successor smooth. That is what Diane Birdwell wants. "One, my high school basketball coach saying, 'Hinojosa, youre slow, but youre short too'. Hinojosa, 65, shared news of his . This section is to introduce Michael Hinojosa with highlights of his life and how he is remembered. I love my job. Hinojosa worked to calm what had been a fractious school board, and helped guide the follow-through on many reforms instituted under the previous superintendent. I will talk about the future when that comes. And he steered both a tax-ratification election and the largest school bond in state history to passage by Dallas voters. Latest news and commentary on Michael Hinojosa including photos, videos, quotations, and a biography. At the service center, where you learn how other districts operate, that was an invaluable experience to me, Hinojosa said. Hinojosa Last Name Statistics demography. The difference with 2.0, now we get a lot of help. The Biography piece is collaborative, where we work together to present the facts. She died in Dallas, Texas on June 4, 2015 after a brief illness. So low and behold, the following year the Grand Prairie Superintendent switched out the Principals! He was willing to tell the story of Dallas as it is and to acknowledge the segregation and racist policies that shaped the school district, she stressed. You wont be a college athlete, but you are so persistent you will be somebody important one day!, At Harvard recently, Hinojosa tried to sink a basket in the gym on campus and laughed. He always had tremendous passion for students and for creating opportunities for all students to be successful, Veselka said. Bexar County Sheriff's Office Police arrested a San Antonio man after an argument ended in. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. As superintendent, I would wake up at 4:45 in the morning and think to myself, All the Buses are gone, he says. Superintendent of the Year: Michael Hinojosa, Dallas Independent School District Steadfast and laser-focused determination to do what's best for students helped the Texas leader navigate public disputes amid an ongoing pandemic.