Overview:
Dallas Weekly contributing writer SiSi Encarnacion sat down with Hinojosa to bring our readers information about the candidate's background, and the ideas on which his campaign is being built. Hinojosa shares his experience as an immigrant growing up in Oak Cliff, Texas and later returning as an educator. He explained his perspectives on socio-economic disparities in Dallas, and some of his plans to reverse them in addition to his strengths and leadership style.
14 months out from the November 2027 election, Dr. Michael Hinojosa is the first candidate to join the race for Dallas’ top office. The 42-year education veteran has also begun sharing his plans for a hypothetical term as the city’s 61st mayor.
A proud Mexican-American, Michael Hinojosa first moved to the U.S. via Lubbock, Texas at three years old. After moving to Dallas for second grade, he was educated in DISD through high school graduation. Growing up as a quiet kid in Oak Cliff, Hinojosa made full use of the city’s services. He has fond memories of playing basketball at the recreation centers in South and West Dallas, and riding DART to get around the city. “I was raised by the city and the school district…I’m just a kid from the hood who learned from the school of hard knocks.” Though he may not have had the best SAT scores, he loved school, and continued to show up.
Seeing the educational disparities among his own classmates in DISD, Michael came to see education as an equalizer for opportunity, and dedicated his career to improving school systems like the one he grew up in. After graduating college, he took his first job as a coach at Adamson High School in Oak Cliff. He eventually filled the roles of teacher, assistant principal, and central office staff member, before capping his career with a 13-year tenure as DISD’s superintendent. Michael Hinojosa declares himself as a ‘fix-it man’ who is eager to take on a challenge.
“I have the ability to solve hard problems, and that’s one of the things that I think I’ve proven that I can do.” – Michael Hinojosa
DW: Dallas has a deep-rooted history of racial segregation and division. As someone who grew up in Oak Cliff and has led the city’s schools for over a decade, how do you see these historical divisions continuing to shape life in Dallas, like the disparities we see in housing, economic opportunity and policing?
MH: “It started with redlining. Southern Dallas got divided up by the freeways. It was very intentional by some of our city founders who have freeways named after them. I remember I was at Adamson High School in 1971. Brown vs Board of Education happened in 1954. It’s now 1971, and there has been nothing. So the federal judge said ‘In August you’re integrating’ and that’s when forced bussing started. There were no suburbs in 1971. By 1973, there were all kinds of suburbs, but it wasn’t just about race. It was about race and class.”
Hinojosa acknowledges that in his neighborhood, the average price of a home is about $2,000,000. He said that just two miles South of there in zip code 75210 (Sunny South Dallas) lives one of the highest percentages of formerly incarcerated people in Texas. “I have a plan, and a lot of it is already baked. But, you also have to have quality of time, place, and life, and that’s about public safety and taking care of our homeless…taking care of people. In the school district you deal with people’s two most prized possessions – their money and their kids. With the city you deal with…still their money and their safety.”
Michael Hinojosa believes his ability to get along and solve problems with people from different backgrounds helped to garner bond election votes that improved DISD facilities. He stated that the majority of people who supported DISD bonds in those elections were older white and Black voters, but also urged younger people and Latinos to get out and vote.
“I’m going to end the tale of two cities.” – Michael Hinojosa
DW: What do you believe it means for a Mexican American mayor to honestly address the historical grievances that the Black community has had?
MH: “I coached nothing but Black kids- I lived in the same neighborhood, I played basketball in the same gyms. I’ve seen the oppression. I’ve felt the oppression. When I was a young coach, I was the only Latino coach. The rest were Black and whites, and they hated each other. They didn’t talk to each other, but they all complained to me about the other ones. But I figured out how to work with all of them, and they helped me in my career, and they became my best friends… “
“I was named superintendent of Hays [CISD] and they had a Confederate flag, and I went nuts. And I got rid of the Confederate flag. It almost cost me my job. But there’s some things that are non-negotiable, and that’s one of them. And that’s why I’m getting so much support from the black community. They’ve been the oppressed every which way you slice.”
Hinojosa goes on to explain the lasting disparities between impacting Black communities in Dallas; “There’s a lot of difference between being economically disadvantaged and having generational poverty, and a lot of our Blacks that are still in the city have generational poverty, and they didn’t have what I had. But the Latinos have a competitive advantage. Most of our parents stay together. In the Black communities, that doesn’t always happen- When you got aunties and grandmas carrying the whole burden for that child. So, seeing that, living that, gives you the DNA muscle to be able to persevere.”
DW: Historically there have been divides between the Black and Latino communities in Dallas. But one thing that we’re seeing is the younger generation of these two communities come together around issues like immigration and policing. How would you, as mayor, support these youth-led movements for social justice?
“One of the things I’m going to get done…if I get elected is be ready to turn it over to you guys, the next generation. My job is to build…53 people that worked for me became superintendents. My talent, my gift, is talent management, and that’s talent identification, talent development, talent promotion. The best I ever felt- and 100% of them were Black and brown, male and female. 100% of the principals that we hired my last two years had been students in Dallas ISD. That’s proof right there.”
DW: How would your administration start to address longstanding issues around housing insecurity and affordability?
MH: “Incrementalism is innovation’s worst enemy. Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result…I met an inspirational lady, a Latina superintendent of San Diego. [Her district] had old buildings, and she converted them into housing for teachers, for principals, for educators, for first responders. Dallas ISD just passed a $6 billion bond – Guess what they’re going to have? A bunch of vacant buildings because they’re building new ones and they’re declining enrollment…”
Hinojosa mentions conversations he’s had with current DISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie S. Elizalde: “Let’s take your old buildings and let’s make them affordable. And what happens if you got a cop or a firefighter who has to drive to Mesquite? Now they could drive home from Lamar, from Botham Jean.” He explains that quality of life, place, time and crime reduction are pillars of his philosophy. “If you got a cop living on your street, crime’s going down. That’s why the burbs are so safe.”
DW: Dallas has a communication issue- the communication between the mayor’s office, the city manager’s office, and the city council is often disjointed. Are there any thoughts as to how the city can catch up to constituents when it comes to communicating proactively about its plans?
MH: “Let me tell you, that’s what I’m good at…My job is to bring people together. [As superintendent] my calendar was color coded. Every Wednesday, I went to schools unannounced for 27 years. Every Monday, I met with my senior staff and a couple of key campus people. Thursday was board meeting days. Tuesdays and Fridays were community days, popping into people’s offices. I didn’t stay in my office. There was nothing in my office except my computer and the phone, because they would be asking me to work on stuff. You can solve problems when you’re out. Leadership by walking around, management by walking around- that’s how you solve problems, when you see them for yourself.”
He used an example from when South Oak Cliff High School was being renovated. When local Black activists raised complaints about the lack of progress on the building, he decided to go see for himself. At 3 o’clock on a Friday, there were no contractors working on the building, which was behind schedule. He called his staff out to see the site, and returned every week until the project was completed on time.
“I learned the success triangle. For the school district, the kids are in the middle of this triangle. The top is the board. They’re my bosses. I’m not their boss. Over here is the staff. I don’t do any work. The staff does all the work. And over here is the community. And if you got everything moving in the right direction, you can thrive.”
Stay tuned for more coverage of the November 2027 election in Dallas and check out our other stories mentioning Michael Hinojosa: ‘Together We Sing Unites Dallas in Praise and Power‘, ‘Dallas Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence, wife Sasha named honorary chairs for Big Thought fundraiser‘, & ‘TV Personality Bevy Smith Heads to Dallas for Big Thought’s BIG NIGHT‘.
