Superintendent Michael Hinojosa To Oversee His Last Dallas ISD State Of The District Before Retirement

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - On March 4 teachers, parents and students will learn more about what happened over the last year and what's to come for the Dallas Independent School District. This afternoon the district is holding its State of the District address.

The event this year is extra special because it will be Superintendent Michael Hinojosa's last address before he steps down.

Dr. Hinojasa has led Dallas ISD for 13 years -- during two different stints -- and has been an educator for more than 40 years.

Noah Kohn says he's thankful for Dr. Hinojosa and the legacy he's leaving behind. "What he stands for is excellence," the 11th-grader said. "He's the superintendent [who] came back and made this well-oiled machine. He was the conductor of this district and to have our conductor leave, the rest of our train has to work. Dr. Hinojosa left us with a standard of excellence."

During his tenure, Hinojosa has been at the helm of the district though some of its best and darkest times. This afternoon he's expected to touch on districtwide achievements made during the past year such as the new iLearn Virtual School -- a standalone virtual school offering anytime, self-paced instruction for students in Grades 3 through 9, and ultimately Grades K-12.

The district has also put into place a new retention incentive program for teachers that will make a raise up to $3,500 available for staff who return to the district next school year. The program was developed as a response to keep teachers in the classroom after many left during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Hinojosa will also be praised for spending his final years with the district leading it through the darkest days of the pandemic.

When asked about the impact of the coronavirus Hinojosa said it was not his reason for retiring. "I have friends and they tell me this job... they didn't sign up for this. Those of us that have fought urban battles, we know. We've been having this forever. But now that that they're creeping into the suburbs and other areas, it is wearing people down.'

There are rumors that Hinojosa may run for some type of political office after he retires, but he has not confirmed that. The DISD State of the District address takes place at noon at the Fairmont Hotel.