Hinojosa: Student Achievement a Top Priority

New Cobb County School Districthas outlined a plan with the school board that will get Cobb schools on a path to success, however his first triumph might have been just getting the board to agree on the plan in the first place.

Hinojosa joked with members of the Cobb-Marietta Retired Educators Association’s at the Freeman Poole Multipurpose Center on Thursday about the recent lack of cooperation among school board members.

“Staff kind of looked at me kind of crazy when I first met them,” he said. “They said, ‘You know, the board really hasn’t been getting along very well. How did you get all seven of them to vote for you?’”

Joking aside, Hinojosa did note that conflict surrounding the school board has kept its members from serving Cobb County’s students.

“I looked at their agendas,” he said. “There hasn’t been a lot of talk about student achievement lately, but that’s something we’re going to be talking about.”

Student achievement is at the top of the list of goals that Hinojosa and the board formed this past weekend. Hinojosa explained that he would like to continue to push “high-flyers,” while bridging the achievement gap between lower performing students.

“I want to make sure they’re involved in rigorous student activities and make sure they’re not just teaching to the state criterion tests that we have,” he said. “Because if you pass that, it doesn’t mean you’re ready for anything. We have to make sure the kids are learning and thinking.”

School finances were the second item on the list. Hinojosa said that he and the board are making a one-year financial plan and a three-year financial forecast that will be flexible depending on how much money the legislature designates for Cobb schools in the coming years.

Finally, Hinojosa and the school board want to ensure that all Cobb students are college or career-ready.

Hinojosa also updated the retired educators on his with 100 people one-on-one in his first 90 days of office. During June and July, he met with school board members, executive staff and principals and will now shift the focus to teachers and community members.

Hinojosa said he is ahead of schedule having already listened to 55 of the 100 people. He plans to complete his research by early September at which time he will present his findings to the school board.

But Hinojosa doesn’t intend to stop listening after his presentation. He explained that it’s been his policy for 18 years to spend Wednesdays visiting schools. 

"That’s what I’ve been doing for 18 years,” he said. “And when I come back I have a positive attitude…That’s what I do every Wednesday. I’ve always done that and it’s always had a huge pay off for me.”