32 March 2022 | prestonhollowpeople.com
Schools
Letter to the Editor Editor’s note: For 30-plus years nonprofit Big Thought has offered art education, out of school programs, summer learning, juvenile justice intervention, and other efforts to equip youth in marginalized communities to imagine and create their best lives.
Dallas ISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s resignation comes as superintendent vacancies are at an all-time high. (PHOTOS: COURTESY DALLAS ISD)
ROADMAP FOR A REPLACEMENT Dallas ISD has plenty to offer, but it may not make superintendent search easier While Michael Hinojosa’s January announcement that he wo u l d b e tendering his resignation as superintendent of B E T H A N Y Dallas ISD E R I C KS O N might have come as a surprise to the public, it wasn’t a shock to the board of trustees.
in fact, I am grateful to him for giving us a heads up and, frankly, for resigning in the manner he did at this time of the year because it gives the board plenty of time to conduct a very thorough search process and still have a new superintendent in place before the first day of school.” That said, the board may not find it easy to find a replacement. Almost a quarter of superintendents nationally have quit in the past year, American Association of School Administrators director Dan Domenech told The Hechinger Report. Typical turnover is around 15%. In North Texas, Hinojosa is one of 10 superintendents that have indicated they will resign or retire. That exodus certainly jibes with what former Texas Education Commissioner (and former Dallas ISD superintendent) Mike Moses is seeing.
I think a lot of talented people would probably say, ‘I’m either going to retire, or I’m not going to look for anything right now because I know what I’ve got. Mike Moses “We have been in conversations about it with him for some time,” trustee Dustin Marshall said. “We were not surprised, and
Moses said that issues around masking, vaccinations, pandemic response, critical race theory, and more are causing superintendents to rethink their options. “These are all high-stakes issues, and the job is already daunting,” he said. “Urban education is already fraught with learning challenges, financial challenges, facility challenges, labor challenges — the list goes on and on. Then you throw in all these others on top of it. “I think a lot of talented people would probably say, ‘I’m either going to retire, or I’m not going to look for anything right now because I know what I’ve got. And if I go somewhere else, I don’t know what I’ll be facing.’” And while there may be internal candidates within Dallas ISD that could be a good fit, Moses said they could also be in every district’s potential pool of candidates. Dallas ISD will have to compete with other districts even to keep current leadership
because the pool of qualified applicants nationally is “very shallow,” he said. “If you have someone on your staff that’s talented and you might want to promote, and you don’t, you might have to be prepared to see them go, too,” he said. So, what does this mean? It means that, while Dallas ISD does have a lot to offer a superintendent when it comes to resources and desire to innovate, the district will still face a monumental task. And it might not be an inexpensive prospect, either — principles of supply and demand dictate that when the supply of anything (including superintendents) is low, and the demand is high, the price goes up. Will districts get sticker shock from what they may have to offer to lure top candidates? As the district begins the process of hiring a search firm to locate that talent pool, we’ll continue to update readers at peoplenewspapers.com.
Thank you, Dr. H. On behalf of the entire team at Big Thought, we want to say THANK YOU (to Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, who plans to leave Dallas ISD later this year.) Your leadership has revolutionized the way Dallas ISD teaches our children. You have helped establish a special sense of community for our families and supported our educators with innovative solutions that have made our schools stronger. Our team is lucky to have been part of your journey at Dallas ISD from day one. You saw the potential in our partnership and together we have provided hundreds of thousands of students with arts education and after school programs, launched Dallas City of Learning together, expanded Learning Partners, and established a comprehensive social and emotional learning (SEL) system. These innovative efforts have helped improve students’ academic and personal achievement, resulting in better performing learners, teachers, and schools. Your understanding that our students need more than what we can provide during the regular school day is an investment that Dallas will benefit from for decades to come. Thank you for giving Big Thought the opportunity to serve hundreds of thousands of Dallas ISD students under your leadership. Your faith in our team has allowed us to help close the opportunity gap, slow the summer slide, and empower students to see themselves as creators with bright futures – no matter what part of Dallas they’re from. We are grateful for the foundation you have built for Dallas ISD over the past 13 years and our team will continue the work we’ve started together. Your energy, vision, insights, experience, honesty, authenticity, unapologetic leadership, and belief in our students will be missed. Keep creating great things wherever you go. Byron Sanders President & CEO, Big Thought
