The Spring ISD board of trustees named Lupita Hinojosa as the lone finalist for the district's vacant superintendent position in a unanimous vote on Jan. 6.
Hinojosa, who currently serves as SISD’s chief of innovation and equity, will replace former Superintendent Rodney Watson—who resigned effective Jan. 1—as superintendent beginning Feb. 1. Hinojosa has served as a public education leader for about 30 years, according to a Jan. 6 SISD news release.
The board conducted several rounds of interviews before selecting Hinojosa as the lone finalist, board President Justine Durant said at the board’s Jan. 6 workshop.
“We are really excited about Dr. Hinojosa taking us to the next level and moving us ... into an environment where our students, teachers and staff have good morale, [are] safe, [are] secure and [are] learning,” Durant said.
Hinojosa began working for SISD as the district's chief academic officer in 2014. Upon assuming her new position on Feb. 1, Hinojosa will be the first Hispanic woman to hold the title of superintendent in SISD's history.
“My career started in the classroom, and that’s the perspective I like to take when making any decisions or formulating any strategies for helping our students achieve success,” Hinojosa said in a statement. “As superintendent of Spring ISD, I hope to build on the successes we’ve accomplished but also build capacity for new avenues of transformation.”
Hinojosa has a doctorate of education and a master’s degree from the University of Houston. She began her education career as a teacher with Houston ISD.
School districts are required by state law to wait 21 days after naming a lone finalist for superintendent positions before officially hiring them.
The search for a new superintendent began in October 2021, when Watson announced he would be leaving SISD for a position with nonprofit Texas Association of School Boards. Board members held two public forums in mid-November where community members supplied input on the hiring process.
