{"id":234807,"date":"2026-04-04T09:25:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T09:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/234807\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T09:25:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T09:25:08","slug":"how-a-tea-takeover-has-changed-south-san-antonio-isd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/234807\/","title":{"rendered":"How a TEA takeover has changed South San Antonio ISD"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"Darlene Sanchez, right, and her daughters Donnalyse Rodriguez, left, 5, and\u00a0Danae Rodriguez, 15, spend time with Debby Sanchez, Darlene\u2019s mother, at Debby\u2019s home in San Antonio on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Darlene is a graduate of the South San Antonio ISD and her daughters, Donnalyse and Danae, both attend schools in the district. Darlene\u2019s mother is also a former employee of the school district and worked there for 17 years.\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Darlene Sanchez, right, and her daughters Donnalyse Rodriguez, left, 5, and\u00a0Danae Rodriguez, 15, spend time with Debby Sanchez, Darlene\u2019s mother, at Debby\u2019s home in San Antonio on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Darlene is a graduate of the South San Antonio ISD and her daughters, Donnalyse and Danae, both attend schools in the district. Darlene\u2019s mother is also a former employee of the school district and worked there for 17 years.<\/p>\n<p>Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n<p>When Darlene Sanchez was a student at\u00a0South San Antonio High School in the 2000s, she watched as the district continually made local headlines for the way its elected leaders conducted themselves.\u00a0Looking back on her time as a South San Bobcat, she remembers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/south-san-isd-board-state-takeover-20009391.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">constant issues with the South San board<\/a> and a consistent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mysanantonio.com\/news\/education\/article\/south-san-s-new-leader-gets-view-of-dysfunction-3649827.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">turnover of its superintendents<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-channels-pixel.ex.co\/events\/0012000001fxZm9AAE?integrationType=DEFAULT&amp;template=design%2Farticle%2Fplatypus_one_column.tpl\" alt=\"\" class=\"x1px y1px vh abs\" aria-hidden=\"true\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Even after Sanchez graduated in 2008, infighting\u00a0on the South San Antonio Independent School District board continued. For decades, allegations of and investigations into misuse of authority, nepotism and financial mismanagement have plagued trustees. In recent years, those tensions have boiled over, leading to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/Three-trustees-resign-amid-superintendent-14411975.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">turnover on the school board and in the superintendent\u2019s office<\/a>, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/south-san-isd-ejects-2-clowns-board-meeting-18435393.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">highly publicized boardroom stunts<\/a>, including one incident involving protesters dressed as clowns that ended with district officers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/former-trustee-sues-south-san-antonio-isd-civil-19961858.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">arresting a trustee<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Since the 1980s, the Texas Education Agency kept a watchful eye on the South Bexar County school system, at times sending representatives to intervene. In the early 2000s, TEA twice investigated the school board for mismanagement before clearing trustees. After a San Antonio <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/Councilman-asks-for-state-to-investigate-South-5103120.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">mayor and city councilman called for state intervention in 2013<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/South-San-ISD-meets-TEA-appointed-conservator-6838271.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">TEA appointed a conservator<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But it wasn\u2019t until one year ago when the state imposed the harshest consequence available: replacing locally elected trustees with state-appointed managers and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/tea-replaces-south-san-isd-superintendent-20174815.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">eliminating local control<\/a> from the district.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the seven other school districts taken over by the TEA for failing academic performance in recent years, South San attracted state oversight because of its long history of dysfunction among the adults leading the 7,400-student school system.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After TEA opened its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/local\/article\/Texas-Education-Agency-South-San-Antonio-ISD-16666613.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">latest investigation into the district in 2021<\/a>, the agency issued a<a href=\"https:\/\/tea.texas.gov\/texas-schools\/school-boards\/school-governance\/board-of-managers\/background-information-south-san-antonio-isd-final-report.pdf\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> 47-page special report finding<\/a> the district\u2019s board could not serve its students properly because of elected officials\u2019 inappropriate behavior. They failed to maintain a relationship with district leadership and mismanaged public funds. In a 15-year period, trustees appointed, hired or fired nine superintendents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>TEA\u2019s investigation culminated in February 2025 when the agency announced the installation of seven appointees to govern the district and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/south-san-isd-eliminates-uncertified-20269691.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Saul Hinojosa as superintendent<\/a> in place of leader Henry\u00a0Yzaguirre.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor far too long, the best interests of students and teachers in South San Antonio ISD were cast aside by many of the very adults elected to serve them, who instead worked in favor of their own self-interests,\u201d Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in <a href=\"https:\/\/tea.texas.gov\/about-tea\/news-and-multimedia\/news-releases\/news-2025\/texas-education-agency-appoints-south-san-antonio-isd-board-of-managers-and-new-superintendent\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a statement at the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath sits in on a fourth-grade\u00a0class at Heritage Elementary School while on a visit to the Southside ISD school on April 30, 2024.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath sits in on a fourth-grade\u00a0class at Heritage Elementary School while on a visit to the Southside ISD school on April 30, 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica Phelps<\/p>\n<p>While the state intervened over dysfunction at the elected board, many have argued that the incessant fighting held students back academically.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Data from the 2024-25 academic year showed that only 34% of South San students were reading at grade level and 25% were on level in math. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/san-antonio-school-districts-accountability-grades-20814386.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">TEA had rated South San Antonio ISD a D<\/a> in its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/tea-a-f-scores-accountability-schools-grades-21217095.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A-F letter grade scale<\/a>, the lowest score of any Bexar County school district.<\/p>\n<p>Hinojosa, a longtime superintendent in nearby Somerset ISD, came out of retirement to lead South San with a simple goal: boost the district to an A-rated school system.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Dr. Saul Hinojosa,\u00a0Somerset ISD Superintendent at the time, at a Parent Symposium on January 28, 2023.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Saul Hinojosa,\u00a0Somerset ISD Superintendent at the time, at a Parent Symposium on January 28, 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Kaylee Greenlee Beal<\/p>\n<p>In the year since he\u2019s been in office, Hinojosa has changed the way teachers are expected to command classrooms, and the appointed board has avoided negative headlines. But many teachers report heavier workloads, demanding hours and, in some cases, a growing desire to leave the profession.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Still, initial results reported by the district shows improvement. Student testing data provided by the district show growth in all subject areas when comparing 2024 and 2025 outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sanchez never felt the \u201cnegative impact\u201d of the board fighting accurately represented her community\u2019s teachers or staff, including her mother, who worked for the district for more than a decade. As a proud product of the South Side district who stayed in the community to raise her own kids, Sanchez said she feels the schools are headed in a positive direction for her two daughters, Danae, 15, and Donnalyse, 5. Both are South San students.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Danae Rodriguez, 15, smiles at her mother Darlene Sanchez while helping her sister Donnalyse Rodriguez, 5, color at her grandparents' home in San Antonio on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Danae Rodriguez, 15, smiles at her mother Darlene Sanchez while helping her sister Donnalyse Rodriguez, 5, color at her grandparents&#8217; home in San Antonio on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"Donnalyse Rodriguez, 5, left, and Danae Rodriguez, 15, spend time with their grandmother Debby Sanchez outside Debby\u2019s home in San Antonio on April 1, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Donnalyse Rodriguez, 5, left, and Danae Rodriguez, 15, spend time with their grandmother Debby Sanchez outside Debby\u2019s home in San Antonio on April 1, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n<p>TEA officials have echoed Sanchez\u2019s positivity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Steve Lecholop, the deputy commissioner of governance for TEA, said Hinojosa and the board have been \u201claser focused\u201d on stabilizing district leadership and focusing\u00a0district priorities on best serving\u00a0students. In an email, he praised the district for embracing the Teacher Incentive Allotment initiative\u00a0\u2014 a pay-for-performance program that rewards high performing teachers with boosted salaries\u00a0\u2014 and for creating learning environments where students \u201ccan achieve at high levels.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo make that a reality, it requires leaders that are aligned and rowing in the same direction. Over the past 12 months, evidence shows that is exactly what is happening in South San,\u201d Lecholop said. \u201cIt\u2019s what the students deserve, it\u2019s what the community deserves and, frankly, what the community was asking for for quite some time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pursuit of academic excellence<\/p>\n<p>In Hinojosa\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sisdk12.net\/page\/performance-ratings\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">final year leading nearby Somerset ISD,<\/a> 54% of Somerset students read at grade level, and 52% performed on level in math.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Student demographics in South San and Somerset are relatively similar\u00a0\u2014 in both school systems, the majority of students are Latino and low-income.\u00a0Students&#8217; academic performance often mirrors the socio-economic adversity they and their families face. But Hinojosa, who bucked the trend at Somerset, hopes to do the same in South San. He said he doesn\u2019t believe a zip code or neighborhood should define the quality of education a student receives.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to his tenure, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southsanisd.net\/p\/~board\/south-san-antonio-independent-school-district-news\/post\/a-new-era-of-leadership-dr-saul-hinojosa-joins-south-san-antonio-isd-as-superintendent#:~:text=These%20beliefs%20are%20the%20leading,opportunities%20they%20need%20to%20succeed.\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">promised to<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southsanisd.net\/p\/~board\/south-san-antonio-independent-school-district-news\/post\/a-new-era-of-leadership-dr-saul-hinojosa-joins-south-san-antonio-isd-as-superintendent#:~:text=These%20beliefs%20are%20the%20leading,opportunities%20they%20need%20to%20succeed.\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">grow performance-based compensation<\/a>, implement new recruitment strategies and begin restructuring the district. Since he started, the district has emphasized the need for quality instruction to be\u00a0the priority throughout the school year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel that we built a good foundation of really putting plans and protocols in place to really improve student outcomes,\u201d Hinojosa said in a February interview.<\/p>\n<p>To improve academic results and test scores, Hinojosa embraced the pay-for-performance system, modeled on one that worked for him at Somerset\u00a0ISD.\u00a0The system, called the <a href=\"https:\/\/tiatexas.org\/\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA)<\/a>, is a merit-based program that allows educators to earn bonuses through state funding. South San bases its rating system on metrics like student testing data and formal observations along with more informal information, like conversations with students, according to a rubric available\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.southsanisd.net\/staff\/tia\/t-tess-rubric\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">on the district website.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>The district first launched the program in South San in 2022, but Hinojosa, credited with implementing the system successfully at Somerset, said the expansion of it since the takeover has driven higher academic performance.\u00a0Under the program, \u201cmaster teachers\u201d\u00a0\u2014 some of the district\u2019s highest rated educators\u00a0\u2014 monitor classrooms and evaluate teachers&#8217; work. They give their colleagues feedback and coach them on how to improve their classroom instruction.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hinojosa also visits classrooms, having promised to personally observe each teacher in the district. After the visits, he sends the instructors feedback and encouragement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Students walk by during passing time at Robert C. Zamora Middle School in San Antonio on Feb. 26, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Students walk by during passing time at Robert C. Zamora Middle School in San Antonio on Feb. 26, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"First-grade student Kimberly Guerrero participates in a class activity at Price Elementary School on\u00a0Feb. 26, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>First-grade student Kimberly Guerrero participates in a class activity at Price Elementary School on\u00a0Feb. 26, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n<p>In the year since TEA stepped in and as\u00a0Hinojosa and the appointed board of managers near the end of their first full academic calendar, the district has witnessed test scores improve.\u00a0Students who originally failed their end-of-course exams in 2024 and retook them in 2025 posted sharp gains in pass rates on English and U.S. history tests at South San High School. These students also improved in Algebra and Biology, according to data provided by the district.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Hinojosa pointed to this data as a sign of initial improvements as the district awaits the results of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasassessment.gov\/staar.html\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness<\/a> or STAAR tests, the most consequential factor in TEA\u2019s A-F district ratings. Results typically come out in June each year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Investing in the South San community<\/p>\n<p>While Hinojosa leads the academic improvement plans for the district, Ray Tijerina oversees the school board governing South San Antonio ISD from its board room dais. The president of the board of managers, Tijerina is a familiar figure in the local charter school community as an advocate for parent choice.<\/p>\n<p>To accept his appointment from the state, Tijerina had to resign from the boards he served on for Legacy Traditional School, which has three campuses across\u00a0Bexar County, and Royal Public Schools, which has a campus in the southeast part of the city.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a no-brainer,\u201d Tijerina, a district alumnus who served in the Navy for nine years before taking a job as a teacher.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love being in the classroom. I love being with kids,\u201d he said. \u201cTeaching is my jam.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After years of teaching, he eventually got involved in the charter community and co-founded an education company called Verdant EDU, which helps school districts in the area recruit talent.\u00a0But even as he became involved in the education world, he worried about what he saw from the elected leaders of the district he graduated from.<\/p>\n<p>Knowing the community opposition and outcry that can follow a district takeover, Tijerina recalls being nervous there would be backlash against state intervention. In the years since the state announced a board of managers in Houston ISD, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/news\/houston-texas\/education\/hisd\/article\/hisd-sickout-lantrip-elementary-21343689.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">protests against the TEA-approved leadership have been a near-constant presence.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Tijerina acknowledged that takeovers have \u201ca negative connotation,\u201d but said he believes district residents were ready for change.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the community just kind of got to a point where the community was like, \u2018Okay, we got to try something different here,\u201d Tijerina said. \u201cI think staff\u00a0\u2014 some staff\u00a0\u2014 felt that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, Tijerina\u2019s main goals are academic gains, partnerships with organizations who can support students, limiting conflict with fellow appointees and supporting the superintendent and district administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He works alongside six other appointees. Four, including Karla Gomez Sanchez, Darrell Balderrama, Jesus Rendon III and Adrian Guerra, attended South San schools. The two other appointees, Kelly\u00a0Murguia and Aurelina Prado, also have ties to the South Side.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Connecting with the community may be a vital part of making changes from an appointed board and superintendent stick long term. In other Texas school district takeovers, critics often describe the board of managers and installed superintendent as outsiders.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Aurelina Prado, center, board member for South San Antonio\u00a0ISD, speaks with Saul\u00a0Hinojosa, the district\u2019s superintendent, as Prado\u2019s uncle Joaquin Prado, left,\u00a0stands with Aurelina Prado\u2019s daughter Amelia, 8, during the South San Community Block Party\u00a0on March 28, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Aurelina Prado, center, board member for South San Antonio\u00a0ISD, speaks with Saul\u00a0Hinojosa, the district\u2019s superintendent, as Prado\u2019s uncle Joaquin Prado, left,\u00a0stands with Aurelina Prado\u2019s daughter Amelia, 8, during the South San Community Block Party\u00a0on March 28, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"Cory Nichols spins around his granddaughter Layla Nichols, 4, during the South San Community Block Party\u00a0on March 28, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Cory Nichols spins around his granddaughter Layla Nichols, 4, during the South San Community Block Party\u00a0on March 28, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s one reason it means a lot that\u00a0Javier Chavez Jr.\u00a0has seen Hinojosa at community events like football games and band competitions. Chavez Jr. is an alumnus and former truck driver who returned to South San Antonio ISD to drive school buses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis presence was there, and I love that, because when I was in school here back in the 90s, I can\u2019t tell you who my principal was,\u201d he said. \u201cI sure as hell didn\u2019t know who my superintendent was. All I remember hearing was about corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With a son in the district, Chavez Jr. said he was impressed by Hinojosa\u2019s decision to come out of retirement to support the district. He also appreciated that all employees received a raise when the new administration took over. And while he doesn\u2019t know everything leadership does behind closed doors, the power of Hinojosa\u2019s presence goes a long way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe will stop for anyone\u00a0\u2014 whether you\u2019re a custodian, a parent, on the school board, whatever your title is,\u201d\u00a0Chavez Jr. said.<\/p>\n<p>While many community members might see him as the new superintendent, Hinojosa has ties to the district. Early in his education career, from 1995 to 1998, he was a history teacher and track and football coach at South San Antonio High School.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a spiritual person, I feel God has put me here for a reason, and that\u2019s to make a difference in this community, and I\u2019m committed to putting in the work to make sure that this is carried out and our kids achieve the best,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>He made it a goal to attend a Sunday service at every church in the district boundaries. Though he\u2019s been in South San\u2019s top job for more than 52 Sundays, he said there are still some churches he\u2019s yet to get around to. The weekend routine is something he started doing at Somerset as a way to integrate himself into the community and show families he was more than just a district leader.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want them to see the human side of me, right?\u201d Hinojosa said. \u201cSo I feel that going to different churches, different denominations, is just a way for me to go out and show that human side and get to see parents and students in a type of just different atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sanchez, the 2008 graduate of South San Antonio High School and mother of two current students, said she sees Hinojosa as a humble and approachable superintendent who is ready to connect with the community.<\/p>\n<p>When her eldest daughter got injured during volleyball season, he helped Sanchez locate the athletic trainer. He later checked to ask how\u00a0Danae, a high school freshman, was doing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe makes his presence known,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s nice to see that he\u2019s out and about everywhere. Very involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But even as Hinojosa attempts to connect with the South San community, the takeover hasn\u2019t come without resistance and some new challenges.<\/p>\n<p>Heightened demands on teachers<\/p>\n<p>After two years as a teaching assistant in Medina Valley ISD, Ayah Ayad came to South San in hopes of giving children\u00a0a quality education.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>The sixth-grade English teacher at Zamora Middle School joined the district three years ago and recalls paying little attention to board politics, even as the elected officials for the district she worked in stayed in the news.<\/p>\n<p>But when the district was taken over and, subsequently, the curriculum and teaching structure changed, she welcomed it. Ayad has benefited from boosted pay initiatives and also enjoys \u201ccluster\u201d time, a recurring professional development meeting in which she and other teachers in the same subject come together to identify ways to improve.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe curriculum has changed. I think our role and responsibilities as educators here, too, have changed,\u201d Ayad said. \u201cOur vision has changed, and when it comes to the classroom level, I think we are\u00a0\u2014 I can speak for myself as a teacher\u00a0\u2014 I think I teach efficiently now. More purposeful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Sixth-grade student Kelis Villalon, left, listens as Ayah Ayad, an English teacher, answers a question at Robert\u00a0C. Zamora Middle School on Feb. 26, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sixth-grade student Kelis Villalon, left, listens as Ayah Ayad, an English teacher, answers a question at Robert\u00a0C. Zamora Middle School on Feb. 26, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"Fifth-grade math teacher Katie\u00a0Hellum during a class\u00a0at Price Elementary School on Feb. 26, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Fifth-grade math teacher Katie\u00a0Hellum during a class\u00a0at Price Elementary School on Feb. 26, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n<p>The higher demand on teachers, which came with a TEA takeover, was also welcomed by Gwendell Gravitt Jr., an eighth-grade science teacher at\u00a0Zamora.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>He also thinks his students noticed a difference.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe message to them was very clear: \u2018We\u2019re not playing here,\u2019\u201d Gravitt Jr. said. \u201cNo, we\u2019re not doing parties two days before Christmas. We are doing instruction, bell to bell. And they\u2019re like, \u2018Why won\u2019t you give us 10 minutes? \u2019 Because we\u2019re going to learn for 10 minutes. So they know it\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But with rising expectations for students, some teachers have lamented the increased pressure and more demanding expectations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasaft.org\/local\/south-san-antonio-aft\/\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">South San Antonio AFT<\/a>, the district teachers\u2019 union, surveyed 325 of the district\u2019s 450 teachers to understand how educators felt in the midst of the state takeover.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Among the 125 who responded, 71% said they were considering leaving the profession, and the same number said they feared retaliation from district administration when they voiced concerns.\u00a0Sixty percent said they didn\u2019t feel their work was valued by district administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Anonymous teacher comments gathered by the survey highlight concerns over the extra work without enough time to complete existing tasks.<\/p>\n<p>Cecilia \u201cCeci\u201d Gonzalez, a dual language kindergarten teacher and former union representative, described a culture of fear, confusion and \u201cimpossible expectations\u201d during the transition to TEA control.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A veteran educator, Gonzalez spent the bulk of her 18 years in the classroom at San Antonio ISD. When she began working at South San the year before the takeover, Gonzalez said there was a \u201clax\u201d attitude from administrators. Rules and guidelines were based on the whims of the person in charge, she said.\u00a0When the state took control, the new administration began to implement fresh directives at a pace that felt like a \u201ctop-down fire hose.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we started our school year, all these initiatives came out that were quite hefty demands on teachers\u2019 time and an absolutely zero tolerance for questioning the reason for these,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>While she wasn\u2019t employed by the district for the bulk of the board\u2019s dysfunction, Gonzalez said her colleagues at South San hoped that things would get better.\u00a0Referencing the union survey, Gonzalez said the new administration may be successfully raising test scores, but the improvement is at the cost of the teachers\u2019 well-being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if it was a fire hose of wonderful ideas, you can\u2019t make it all happen all at once,\u201d said Gonzalez, who ultimately left her post and moved out of state. \u201cYou\u2019re going to break the system by putting the load on. This is the first year and you\u2019re breaking it. Is it long-lasting? Is it sustainable? If you\u2019re getting your scores up, at what price?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Teacher morale is the lowest Tom Cummins, who has represented South San\u2019s teachers union for 25 years, said he has ever seen in the district. He attributed the tension to the transition and new policies implemented under TEA\u2019s chosen administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe administration has gone ahead and made up the rules that it wants to implement, and they haven\u2019t been good,\u201d Cummins said. \u201c There are teachers who are just walking out the door.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hinojosa acknowledged the extra pressure teachers are under to perform. He notes that the biggest issues he\u2019s faced so far have been clashes with the union and teacher retention, with around 10 teachers having left since the takeover.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy previous district had really little or no pushback, but the unions maybe were not as present as they are here,\u201d Hinojosa said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;It is way different today&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/South-San-ISD-candidates-17528707.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">he was elected to the district\u2019s board of trustees in 2022<\/a>, Abel \u2018Chili Dog\u2019 Martinez was warned that TEA could take over the district. Now, he\u2019s glad they did.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think the state should ever let South San go,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cTEA should never let go of South San, because it is way different today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Stacey Alderte and Irma Vigil, dressed as clowns in support of friend and South San ISD board member, Abel Martinez, left, argue with Officer\u00a0Serrata after Alderte and Vigil were escorted from the building at a school board meeting.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Stacey Alderte and Irma Vigil, dressed as clowns in support of friend and South San ISD board member, Abel Martinez, left, argue with Officer\u00a0Serrata after Alderte and Vigil were escorted from the building at a school board meeting.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica Phelps<\/p>\n<p>Under the new leadership, Martinez said he sees an increased focus on student performance, less conflict between board members and\u00a0Hinojosa\u2019s extensive involvement in the community. He supports\u00a0Hinojosa based on conversations they\u2019ve had and what he\u2019s heard from relatives who work in district schools.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have plenty of family members that continue working for the district, so I hear that he\u2019s helped. He walks the property every day, like, every day,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cHe\u2019s literally in the trenches with the teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Martinez said that during his first few months as a board member, fellow trustees and district administration often invoked the looming threat of a state takeover, and the damage it could do to the community early on scared him.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, a year after the takeover started, he said of South San constituents, \u201cnobody cares\u201d about the takeover. He added that community members have long been apathetic to the issues the district faced for a long time.<\/p>\n<p>Angelina Osteguin, a lifelong South San resident and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/South-San-ISD-elections-could-reshape-power-5816910.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">trustee nearly a decade before Martinez<\/a>, recalls many of the same issues during her time on the board.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe made headlines every week because of the drama we were doing my first two years,\u201d said Osteguin, who served on the board from 2014-2018.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>During her tenure, one trustee accused another of\u00a0being involved in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mysanantonio.com\/news\/local\/article\/South-San-ISD-trustee-fears-for-safety-after-6164526.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a shooting at her home<\/a>, and TEA opened an investigation into a football coach misusing funds. In 2016, Morath <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/file\/145\/2\/1452-South%20San%20Antonio%20ISD%2002%2005%2016%20(1).pdf\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">appointed a conservator<\/a> to oversee the district because of trustees&#8217; poor working relationship with administration. The agency ended the appointment two years later, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/education\/article\/TEA-removes-South-San-conservator-12506056.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">calling their oversight of the district \u201cno longer necessary.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But in the years that followed, infighting continued and new allegations of inappropriate trustee behavior emerged, highlighting one of the key challenges districts face after state oversight ends\u00a0\u2014 making any reforms endure.<\/p>\n<p>Takeovers last a minimum of two years and can be extended if the education commissioner deems it necessary. Once Morath approves elected board members to take back power leading their district, they will transition back onto the dais, three at a time, in subsequent election cycles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Tijerina hopes that his time in power\u00a0\u2014 however long that may be\u00a0\u2014 means the district he graduated from and now represents can change its future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the main goals is to make sure that when you leave, it doesn\u2019t go back to the way it was before\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Danae Rodriguez, 15, and her sister Donnalyse Rodriguez, 5, walk out the door with their grandfather, Daniel Sanchez, in San Antonio on April 1, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Danae Rodriguez, 15, and her sister Donnalyse Rodriguez, 5, walk out the door with their grandfather, Daniel Sanchez, in San Antonio on April 1, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Katina Zentz\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Darlene Sanchez, right, and her daughters Donnalyse Rodriguez, left, 5, and\u00a0Danae Rodriguez, 15, spend time with Debby Sanchez,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234808,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[82,84,83],"class_list":{"0":"post-234807","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-san-antonio","9":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","10":"tag-san-antonio-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}