From state takeovers to religion in the classroom to oversight of public schools, Texas is poised to see a profound shift in K-12 education priorities after Democrats swept elected offices statewide, including the gubernatorial race, the attorney general’s office and control of the House of Representatives.
Gina Hinojosa, former Austin ISD school board president, became the first Democrat to win the governor’s seat since 1990 after campaigning on an agenda to “save” Texas public schools. She pledged to remove Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath from office on his first day in office, as well as eliminate state takeovers of districts.
“We are taking back the education of our children from a government that has failed them,” Hinojosa said in his victory speech. “Schools will not be out of our control, closed or stifled. Being a parent is hard enough without carrying the burden of a government’s failures.”
However, Hinojosa alone cannot reverse years of Republican-led policies in the next legislative session. Many of the issues she campaigned against are written into state law, requiring help from the legislature to change or overturn.
Hinojosa will have help from Democratic Lt. Gov. Vikki Goodwin, who will oversee the Senate, and a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives to advance his agenda. However, Republican lawmakers retain a majority in the state’s upper chamber, where they have the power to approve or reject Hinojosa’s nominations as well as the ability to influence Democrats’ priority legislation.
The end of Republican Party dominance in several other state offices — including attorney general and comptroller — will likely have major implications for millions of students. As of Wednesday evening, Republicans were in danger of losing control of the 15-member State Board of Education, which has recently adopted conservative measures such as requiring Bible stories in reading classes.
The Texas attorney general’s office will be led by a Democrat for the first time since 1994. Under Ken Paxton, the office has frequently threatened legal action or investigated public schools, including for apparently failing to comply with a law requiring the display of posters of the Ten Commandments or for failing to keep students on campus when they protested immigration enforcement.
In the election, Democrats took aim at the new $1 billion school voucher program launched in Texas, which provides families with state-funded vouchers for private schools or home schooling. Outgoing Controller Don Huffines, who had made expanding the voucher program a priority, was removed as Texas’ chief financial officer.
Here’s a look at what could change in K-12 education in Texas under Democratic leadership:
Eliminate STAAR
Hinojosa pledged to eliminate STAAR and “similar tests.” Students in grades 3-8 currently take state standardized exams in math and reading each year. Fifth graders also take science classes, while eighth graders take history and science classes. High school students take the STAAR capstone course in Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II, and U.S. History.
In 2025, Texas lawmakers passed a law to replace the STAAR with three shorter tests to be given at the beginning, middle and end of each school year. Students will begin taking the new tests, called the Student Success Tool, next school year.
Hinojosa opposes the new tool, but she would need the Legislature to amend existing state law.
Federal law prohibits him from completely eliminating standardized testing. The Every Student Succeeds Act, signed into law by former President Barack Obama, requires states to administer annual reading and math tests in grades three through eight and once in high school.
Removal of Mike Morath
Hinojosa has pledged to fire Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath from office on his first day in office and replace him with an educator.
The TEA commissioner has a four-year term. Morath’s current term is set to expire in January, the same month Hinojosa is sworn in as governor.
Hinojosa must nominate someone and submit the name to the Texas Senate for official confirmation. Under the state constitution, the appointee must obtain two-thirds approval of the Texas Senate in the next legislative session.
If an appointment is not approved, the position will remain vacant. Texas law requires the governor to appoint someone else “without delay.” If none of her appointees get approval during the session, she can nominate someone during the break. That person could remain in office until the Senate returns to legislative session and votes on the appointee.
TEA officials did not respond to a request for comment.
State buyouts
Texas has seven districts, including Fort Worth and Houston, where Morath has replaced superintendents and appointed managers to assume authority from locally elected administrators since 2023.
Hinojosa has pledged to end state takeovers of public school districts. State law requires the Texas education commissioner to take over a district after one of its campuses earns five consecutive academically unacceptable ratings from the state or close the failing school.
To completely eliminate buyouts, Texas law would need to be changed. However, Hinojosa would benefit from some flexibility under a new commissioner.
For districts currently in the buyout process, a new TEA commissioner could replace any or all of the individuals currently appointed as board directors.
The commissioner also determines the date when elected administrators may resume their duties overseeing the district. Under state law, beginning on that date, each year for three years, one-third of the directors would replace one-third of the appointed board of directors.
The potential upheaval could lead to seismic shifts for tens of thousands of teachers, students and families in districts under state control. Governing boards are responsible for key decisions such as hiring and evaluating the superintendent and approving the annual budget.
State Board of Education
Control of the State Board of Education is at stake as the party split was 7-7, with a Democrat narrowly ahead with fewer than 600 votes for an eighth seat.
At least four New Democrats won seats, giving them far more leverage over the standards for what millions of public school children should learn in the state.
Before the election, Republicans held an 11-4 supermajority, which they used to draft an Islamophobic rewrite of social studies courses, greenlight required Bible reading for all public school students, and approve classroom teaching downplaying the horrors of American slavery.
Although not all elections have been called, the change marks a major blow to the Republicans’ unbridled dominance. Members will be responsible for learning materials used by Texas students, charter school approvals and a school fund worth billions.
Once she takes office, state law allows Hinojosa to appoint a new board president from among the elected members, although the selection requires Senate approval. The current president is Republican Aaron Kinsey.
School vouchers
Hinojosa campaigned on ending Texas’ school voucher program, which Republican leaders successfully pushed last year.
Under the existing $1 billion program, known as Education Savings Accounts, participating families with a child attending private school began qualifying for about $10,500 a year. Home-schooled students can receive up to $2,000 per year, while children with disabilities are eligible for up to $30,000.
Hinojosa cannot change state law alone, but she could veto any future voucher legislation. She could also use the governor’s veto power to eliminate funding for certain items — such as education savings accounts — from a state budget bill during next year’s session. A veto can only be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in the House and Senate.
“Our public schools are barely holding on,” Hinojosa said at a September press conference. “We can’t afford to spend $4 billion on this inexplicable voucher scam, so I’m going to block this. I will be against it and do everything in my power to make sure this money goes back to public schools.”
Huffines, the Republican who currently oversees the program, previously asked lawmakers to double the amount of money available for the program in the upcoming session, which would bring a total to more than $2 billion. He will be replaced by Democrat Sarah Eckhardt, who has said she wants to audit the voucher program.
“Hinojosa stood up for our public schools, first as a school board member and then as a legislator,” Linda Estrada, president of the Texas State Teachers Association, said in a statement. “Now she will be the advocate and ally educators and students have long needed in the governor’s office to refocus our state’s education priorities on public schools, not privatization.”
Staff writer Jaden Edison contributed to this story.
Disclosure: The Texas State Teachers Association has financially supported the Texas Tribune for the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that is funded in part by donations from its members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial support plays no role in our journalism. Find a full list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.
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