Hinojosa vows to replace Texas education commissioner Mike Morath
Democratic Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa announced Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, in her victory speech that she will fire Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on her first day in office in January 2027. Morath's term expires Jan. 10, 2027, nine days before Hinojosa's Jan. 19, 2027 inauguration, allowing her to appoint a replacement rather than formally remove him.
Earlier story. First reported Nov 5, 2026 at 1:54 pm; added to this site Nov 6, 2026. Details may have changed since.
- When it happened
- Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 (victory speech); Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 (transition team announcement)
- Where
- Texas (Houston ISD mentioned as example of state takeover)
- First reported by an outlet
- Nov 5, 2026 at 1:54 pm
- Confirmed by
- 2 independent outlets
Taxes & money
None stated in sources.
Who's involved
The facts
- Hinojosa announced Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, in her victory speech that she will fire Morath on her first day in office.[1,2]
- Morath has led the Texas Education Agency since January 2016, when Republican Gov. Greg Abbott appointed him.[1,2]
- Morath's current appointment expires Jan. 10, 2027, nine days before Hinojosa's Jan. 19, 2027 inauguration.[1,2]
- Hinojosa's transition team is already interviewing candidates for Morath's replacement as of Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026.[1]
- Morath told school leaders Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, he was committed to ensuring a smooth transition for the incoming education commissioner.[2]
- The Texas Education Agency oversees roughly 5.5 million students in Texas and distributes state and federal education funding, oversees standardized testing, assigns A-F accountability ratings and has authority to intervene in struggling districts.[1]
- In 2023, the Texas Education Agency replaced Houston ISD's elected school board and superintendent with state-appointed leaders.[1]
- Hinojosa is a former Austin Independent School District board president.[1]
Who said what
- Hinojosa In October 2026, she told The Texas Standard: 'I don't have anything against the man personally, but I do believe we need an educator in that position to get us back on track.'[1]
- Hinojosa In October 2026, she criticized the A-F school accountability system, saying 'It is created by the Texas Education Agency that then decides how to grade it after the kids have already taken the test. We need an objective outside measure of our kids' performance.'[1]
- Hinojosa In a July 2026 interview with the Houston Press, she said 'I will give the school district back to the people of Houston,' pledging to restore local control of Houston ISD.[1]
- Hinojosa During her campaign, she promised to return school districts under state intervention back to their communities and to appoint an educator to lead the agency.[2]
Sources
- News Center Why Gina Hinojosa wants to fire Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath Houston Public Media · Nov 6, 2026
- News Center TEA commissioner Mike Morath signals “smooth transition” amid Gina Hinojosa firing vow Click2Houston · Nov 5, 2026
Written by AI from the sources above, under fixed rules: every fact is cited, claims are kept apart from facts, and dollar figures appear only when a source states them. Mistakes get corrected in public.