Submitted report
Elsa Hinojosa, Hays CISD executive director for secondary schools and member of the superintendent’s cabinet, has announced she will retire in December after a successful 33-year career in education.
Hinojosa joined the Hays CISD team in 2001 as the principal of Dahlstrom Middle School. At the time, Hays CISD had fewer than 8,100 students compared with nearly 18,000 students today. During her time in the district, she has helped guide tremendous growth, an increase in academic expectations, and expanded student opportunities.
“I’ve spent the last 14 years at Hays CISD. This district is my home,” Hinojosa said. “It has been my honor to serve with such an outstanding group of caring and dedicated educators.”
In 2003, Hinojosa was selected as the principal of Lehman High School. She led the team that opened the campus in 2004 and served in that role until 2010 when she was named as the executive director of secondary schools, responsible for ensuring academic and operational excellence at all campuses in the district with 6th through 12th grade students.
At the time Hinojosa was promoted in 2010, Lehman High School had the highest exit-level test scores in the district in English, science, and social studies on the state assessment – then known as the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. Lehman had also earned a 2010 College Ready Graduate Award from the Texas Education Agency.
Hinojosa says in addition to the successes of her team at Lehman High School, she is equally proud of the dropout prevention work in which the district has engaged under its Project Hope banner. Her leadership and facilitation of the Project Hope team has resulted in significant gains in Hays CISD graduation rates. From 2009 to 2014, the graduation rates in the district have increased from 76.9 percent to 91.8 percent.
“I’m excited for Elsa and the new chapter in her life on which she embarks,” said Hays CISD Superintendent Mike McKie. “Our district will be forever grateful to her for her contributions to the thousands of students who had her as a principal and the countless others who have benefited from her entire career in education.”
In addition to her work in Hays CISD, Hinojosa served in several other Austin area school districts earlier in her career, including Pflugerville ISD as an assistant principal and Eanes and Del Valle ISDs where she taught U.S. government and coached award winning tennis teams. She holds a bachelor of science in secondary education and a master’s in education in curriculum and instruction, both from The University of Texas at Austin.
Her many educational honors include: being a two-time winner of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Administrator of the Year award, being selected as the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Assistant Principal of the Year for Region 13 and being named a state finalist for the same award, winning the Westlake High School Golden Apple Teacher of the Month Award four times, serving as the coach of the Texas 4A Team Tennis State Champions in 1992, being named the 5A Texas Tennis Coach of the Year in 1990, recognition from the Texas Legislature as a Texas Women in Sports Honoree, serving as the assistant coach for two state tennis team championships in the 1980s, and coaching players to seven individual high school state tennis championships in Texas.
“Elsa is incredibly talented in so many ways,” said Hays CISD Chief Academic Officer Dr. Kimbroly Pool. “She not only serves as the instructional leader for our secondary schools, she also manages safety protocol for all campuses and supervises the district’s attendance officers. When it comes to working with parents and solving challenges, she is among the best. I also know she is an outstanding tennis coach! We will all miss her, but wish her the very best in her retirement. She has been an asset for our community for a long time.”
