Gina Hinojosa, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, is making public schools a central issue in her campaign for Texas governor. At a recent town hall in Fort Worth, Hinojosa spoke to a crowd concerned about the state of their local schools, which are under state intervention. She blamed Governor Greg Abbott’s support for education savings accounts and what she described as stagnant public school funding for the problems facing the schools.

Local Control and Accountability

Hinojosa promised to remove Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath if elected and to work to end the A-F accountability ratings and STAAR tests. She also expressed her opposition to school closures, which she believes can harm communities and lead to a decline in enrollment. However, some experts argue that school closures are often the result of long-term enrollment declines and overspending, rather than state policy.

Adrienne Haynes, a Fort Worth ISD parent, attended the town hall and expressed her concerns about the lack of clear plans for improving struggling schools. Haynes supports state intervention in her district but wants to know what the end result will look like. She believes that school closures are not just about buildings, but about the foundation of the community.

Challenges in Turning Education into a Campaign Issue

Experts say that turning complex education debates into a simple campaign message can be difficult. Joel Leader, a University of Texas at Arlington education professor, notes that the challenge is not convincing voters that schools matter, but making public education a central voting issue in a state where education debates have become more polarized. Jim Riddlesperger, an emeritus professor of political science at Texas Christian University, adds that the core issues affecting education are often not partisan and can be hard to explain quickly, making them less likely to become deciding factors in elections.

Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.