The Dallas school board last week named Eliu Misael “Michael” Hinojosa as the 158,000-student district’s superintendent.
The 6-3 vote on March 29 split along racial lines, with the board’s white and Hispanic members voting in favor of Mr. Hinojosa. Of the black members, two voted against him and one abstained.
Mr. Hinojosa, 47, is the superintendent of the 28,000-student Spring Independent School District in Texas. He was born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and grew up in Dallas, where he attended school. He taught and coached in the Dallas public schools, according to a statement on the district’s Web site.
In 2002, Mr. Hinojosa was named Texas Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards. He is the president of the Texas Association of School Administrators.
Under state law, the school board must wait 21 days after naming him its sole finalist for the position before approving his employment contract. Larry D. Groppel has been the interim superintendent since September.
