Governor-elect Hinojosa vows to fire Education Commissioner Morath

Hinojosa targets state takeovers and voucher program

Governor-elect Hinojosa intends to reverse the education agenda of outgoing Governor Greg Abbott by ending state-led takeovers of school districts.

She plans to return the Houston Independent School District to local control and pause the state's A-F accountability system, which she argues relies on flawed standardized tests created by the Texas Education Agency.

The Texas Education Agency oversees a system of 5.5 million students, manages funding, and assigns performance ratings.

Hinojosa also opposes the private school voucher program launched in 2025, which allows 110,000 of the state's 5 million students to use public funds for private education.

The voucher program, which cost $1 billion to implement, will require legislative action to fully repeal.

In the recent election, at least 13 Republicans endorsed by Abbott lost to Democrats or trailed in their races.

Data shows Abbott’s margin over Hinojosa fell by 16 percentage points in rural counties and 20 percentage points in exurban areas compared to his 2022 performance.

In the District 121 race, Democrat Zack Dunn defeated Abbott-backed candidate Marc LaHood with 54% of the vote, citing public opposition to the voucher program as a key factor.

Separately, Austin voters approved Proposition A, which allocates $65.5 million for park improvements, and Proposition B for citywide upgrades.

Senate confirmation hurdles for new commissioner

Hinojosa faces a complex path to replace the current education commissioner because the Texas Senate plays a formal role in removal. The incoming governor cannot remove the official unilaterally.

Her transition team is currently interviewing potential candidates to replace Morath.

In the same election, James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton for a U.S. Senate seat. Senate seat, and Vikki Goodwin defeated Dan Patrick for lieutenant governor.

Morath's tenure and potential for final actions

Mike Morath has led the Texas Education Agency since January 2016, following his appointment by Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

During his tenure, Morath oversaw the takeover of 11 school districts. This included the 2023 replacement of the Houston Independent School District board and superintendent. Morath led the state's largest recent takeover of public schools.

Outgoing Governor Greg Abbott could theoretically attempt to reappoint Morath before leaving office.

Final school accountability ratings are scheduled for release in December. This creates a gap before the new administration takes office where Morath could theoretically enforce state law.

They cited the potential for instability in the district as the primary reason for this assessment.

Transition planning and accountability ratings

Hinojosa is currently interviewing candidates for the education commissioner position. Commissioner Morath said he will work with his successor to ensure a smooth transition.

Meanwhile, the state will release final accountability ratings for schools in December.

Comptroller Eckhardt plans voucher program audits

Sarah Eckhardt, the Democrat who will lead the state office managing the voucher program, announced plans to conduct rigorous audits of taxpayer spending. She intends to increase public transparency regarding the program.

Previous Republican comptrollers withheld information about private school funding and public school enrollment losses, claiming the need to protect student privacy.

Eckhardt said, "As the comptroller, my job is to vigorously follow the money and report back to the Legislature if their investment is not panning out". Regarding the audit, Eckhardt said, "That is part of the vigorous audit and performance evaluation of this program that any comptroller should be doing, and I certainly will be doing".

While Eckhardt noted that major overhauls must come from lawmakers, Democratic Representative Diego Bernal stated he is confident that the voucher program will be made "unrecognizable, if not extinct" by the time the legislature is finished with it.

Republican defense of voucher program

Senator Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who led the legislative push for vouchers, said the legislature must evaluate the results of the 2026-27 school year to assess the program's benefits. Bettencourt noted that some parents have returned vouchers because their children required special education services.

Regarding the program, Bettencourt said, "I think that it has helped students in many other states". Bettencourt also stated, "We need to look at what’s happened here with this first cohort, and we need to make sure that we’re debating not the emotionality prior to passage of a bill, but the facts of what happened after the passage of a bill".

Austin ISD faces potential state intervention

Hinojosa, a former president of the Austin Independent School District board, stated in October that she believes an educator is needed in the commissioner position to improve the state's public schools.