How Can DISDs Michael Hinojosa Still Love His Job—and Keep It?
It’s a chilly, gusty mid-November evening, and outside the headquarters of the Dallas Independent School District, 30 or so protesters have gathered. For two months now, they’ve called for the removal of Superintendent Michael Hinojosa after he announced that on his watch the district outspent its budget by tens of millions of dollars and, even worse, had to fire teachers to keep the lights on. 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. Tonight though, Hinojosa can’t go anywhere. While outside protesters demand he step down, waving wind-blown signs that read “Retire Hinojosa, Rehire Teachers,” the 52-year-old superintendent will be at the DISD Board of Trustees meeting, where the nine elected officials will be voting to extend their terms by one year. It’s an incredibly brazen and divisive move: The same trustees who sat on their hands as the district blew past its budget no
