AUSTIN, Texas – Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa used her first public appearance since winning the governor’s race to signal major changes ahead for Texas public schools, from new leadership at the Texas Education Agency to the future of the state’s school voucher program.

Speaking at a news conference in Austin on Thursday Nov. 5, Hinojosa said the search for someone to replace Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath is already underway. “We are actively interviewing people for that position,” she said, according to other local news sources.

She also said she would work with both parties. “The people of Texas have spoken, and I think it’s important that as elected leaders we respect what the people of Texas have said. They want change,” Hinojosa said, according to other local news sources. “I would hope that elected leaders from both parties don’t get in the way of the progress we can make together to deliver for working Texans.”

What She Promised On The Campaign Trail

Thursday’s comments line up with the education plan Hinojosa ran on for months. In an August post on X she summed it up in one sentence.

“As governor, I will make teachers in Texas among the highest paid in the nation, fire Mike Morath and replace him with an educator, and end the STAAR test once and for all,” Hinojosa wrote. “This is our last best chance to save Texas public schools.”

As governor, I will make teachers in Texas among the highest paid in the nation, fire Mike Morath and replace him with an educator, and end the STAAR test once and for all.

This is our last best chance to save Texas public schools. pic.twitter.com/FgiEwR4hc4
— Gina Hinojosa (@GinaHinojosaTX) August 17, 2026

Post by Gina Hinojosa (@GinaHinojosaTX) on X, Aug. 17, 2026.

Her campaign’s Save Texas Public Schools platform lays out five main goals, according to her campaign website.

End the STAAR test. Hinojosa has pledged to end STAAR “and tests like it,” pause the A-F school rating system and ask the Legislature for a bill that creates what her campaign calls “real accountability.”

Stop school takeovers. She has promised to return districts taken over by the state to their local communities.

End vouchers. Her platform calls for ending the voucher program and keeping tax dollars in neighborhood public schools.

An educator at TEA. She has said that on day one she will fire Morath and appoint an educator to lead the agency.

Teacher pay. She has promised to audit and end what she calls corrupt vendor contracts and use the money to make Texas teachers among the highest paid in the nation.

What She Can And Cannot Do Alone

Many of those changes will not happen overnight. Several are written into state law and would need the Legislature’s help, according to other local news sources.

Morath’s current term ends in January, the same month Hinojosa takes office, and any new commissioner she picks would need approval from two-thirds of the Texas Senate, according to other local news sources. Republicans are expected to keep their majority in the Senate, while Democrats won control of the Texas House.

STAAR is also tied to federal law. The Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to test students every year in reading and math in grades three through eight and once in high school, so Texas cannot drop statewide testing altogether.

On vouchers, more than 110,000 Texas students are in the program, according to other local news sources. Hinojosa’s platform calls for ending it. Incoming Comptroller Sarah Eckhardt, whose office will oversee it, has vowed to audit it, according to other local news sources.

What It Could Mean For Local Families

For families in Eagle Pass and across Maverick County, the changes could reshape how students are tested and how local campuses are rated. Nearly 30 percent of Maverick County’s roughly 58,800 residents are under 18, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Hinojosa, a former Austin ISD school board president, is set to be sworn in Jan. 19, 2027, when lawmakers will also be in Austin for the regular legislative session.

Read our earlier coverage: Hinojosa Announces By And For The People Transition Team Leadership

Also read: Talarico Wins Texas Senate Seat And Hinojosa Ousts Abbott In Historic Democratic Night