In electing to the Austin school board, local voters appointed a civil rights attorney who has pledged to challenge some of the educational overhauls championed by Superintendent Meria Carstarphen. With 128,000 votes counted, Hinojosa leads director 69 percent to 31 percent.
鈥淥ur community has reaffirmed its belief in supporting our public schools and engaging the community,鈥� Hinojosa said in a phone interview. 鈥淲e have the potential to make Austin a great destination for public schools like it is for so many other things.鈥�
Hinojosa is no stranger to politics. Her dad, , is chair of the Texas Democratic Party. And her was peppered with prominent local pols such as Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Council Member Mike Martinez and State House Reps. Eddie Rodriquez, Mark Strama and Elliot Naishtat, just to name a few. Even the outgoing school board member whose seat she was seeking, Annette LoVoi, threw her support behind Hinojosa.
LoVoi was among two or three board members who routinely question Superintendent Carstarphen鈥檚 ambitious programs aimed at improving underperforming schools. She was among the Carstarphen鈥檚 most controversial plan of her tenure: hiring to run a college prep program in East Austin鈥檚 Allan Elementary. Hinojosa appears ready to follow in her footsteps.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 dangerous to be imposing such drastic changes on communities when that was not a failing school,鈥� Hinojosa . 鈥淚t was a beloved school in the community, and the community obviously didn鈥檛 want the change.鈥�
