Texas Dems vowed seismic education change. Here’s how schools could change for millions of students.
From state takeovers to religion in classrooms to who’s overseeing public schools, Texas is poised to see a profound shift in K-12 education priorities after Democrats swept statewide elected offices, including the governor’s race, attorney general’s office and control of state House.
Gina Hinojosa, a former Austin ISD school board president, became the first Democrat to win the governor’s seat since 1990 after campaigning on a platform of “saving” Texas public schools. She pledged to remove Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath from his role on her first day in office, as well as eliminate state takeovers of districts.
“We are taking our children’s education back from a government that has failed them,” Hinojosa said in her victory speech. “Schools will not be taken out of our control, shuttered or suffocated. Being a parent is hard enough without carrying the burden of a government’s failures.”
However, Hinojosa cannot single-handedly reverse years of Republican-led policies during the upcoming legislation session. Several of the issues she campaigned against are enshrined in state law, requiring help from the Legislature to alter or overturn.
Hinojosa will have help advancing her agenda from Democrat Lt. Gov Vikki Goodwin, who will oversee the Senate, and a Democratic majority in the state House. However, Republicans lawmakers maintain a majority in the state’s upper chamber, where they have the authority to approve or reject Hinojosa’s appointees as well as the ability to impact Democrats’ priority legislation.
The end to GOP dominance in several other statewide offices — including the attorney general and comptroller — is likely to have major implications for millions of students. By Wednesday evening, Republicans were in jeopardy of losing control of the 15-member State Board of Education that recently adopted conservative measures such as requiring Bible stories in reading lessons.
