Schools

Hinojosa Impresses South Cobb Parents

Dr. Michael Hinojosa, the finalist for Cobb Schools superintendent search, won over many South Cobb parents when he met them at nearby McEachern High School on Wednesday.

Prospective Cobb County School Superintendent Dr. spoke to parents and faculty about his methods and plans for the district, and fielded questions during a meet-and-greet at McEachern High School Wednesday night.

David Morgan, who serves on the Cobb County Board of Education, Post 3, which includes McEachern, and high schools, introduced Hinosoja, the sole finalist for the superintendet's job.

“His transparency resonated with me,” Morgan said.

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Honojosa would replace current Superintendent Fred Sanderson, who is retiring this month. The Board of Education is having a meeting at 3 p.m. Sunday to officially hire Hinojosa.

He began his remarks Wednesday by stating his desire to have a conversation with the assembled parents and staff. Hinojosa described himself as a man of action, who is willing to make the tough decisions required of a school superintendent.

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Hinojosa stressed the need to accommodate and communicate with all students.

“I don't have a silver bullet,” Hinojosa said, “but I will do a lot of listening.”

Parents in attendance said they were impressed with Hinojosa's frankness.

“They picked one of the best candidates available,” said Jay Young. “How well he will do won't be seen until the future, but he had a ton of answers I wouldn't expect from the current regime. I'm glad they decided to go with an outsider.”

Hinojosa said he intends to meet with the seven school board members, the central staff and county principals to discover trends and issues that need to be addressed.

Hinojosa said he has looked at the raw numbers from Cobb County, but now wants to learn the stories behind the numbers, he said.

“My number one priority is the academic performance of all students,” Hinojosa said.

Parents Barbara Stone and Valerie Testman, PTA president of in Austell, came away with positive opinions of the Hinojosa.

“I was very impressed,” Stone said. “I like the direction he wants to take. I like that he has a plan for the diversity in the county.”

“He seems like he'd be dedicated to the achievement of all students,” said Testman. “If he does what he says he will, Cobb County will be an even greater place to live.”

Hinojosa reminded the attendees that Cobb children are not just competing with children from DeKalb County or South Carolina, but children from around the world.

Hinojosa said he wants to give students in his jurisdiction a fighting chance in the world job market.

Questions were submitted to Hinojosa by note cards passed out at every table inside the cafeteria. By Hinojosa's own admission, the toughest question he was asked dealt with the lack of trust at  all levels of the Cobb County School System.

“The only way to get trust is to earn it,” he said. “You need to have trust between people and trust that people can perform tasks that are asked of them.”

The job of school superintendent is all about relationships, said Hinojosa, and he hopes to win the support and trust of the school board, his direct reports and the school principals.

“Cobb County can be the best district in America,” he said, “but nobody wants to be surrounded by conflict.”

Hinojosa has been a school superintendent in Texas for 17 years. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University and is a career educator. He has coached football, basketball and baseball teams and is the current superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District.


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