New Spring ISD Superintendent Is Making History for the 2022-2023 School Year
Style Magazine Newswire | 8/15/2022, 11:53 a.m.
The power is within the new Spring ISD Superintendent Dr. Lupita Hinojosa as she starts her first school year in her new role.
Officially beginning her career on Feb. 1st, the first Hispanic female superintendent in the district's history started the 2022-2023 school year visiting a variety of campuses to welcome students back to school.
“I am honored and humbled to have been given this opportunity to lead a district that has become family to me,” Hinojosa said. “My goal is to channel the energy and boundless enthusiasm I have for education toward improving student outcomes and supporting teaching and learning in Spring ISD.”
She revealed her new strategic plan, Every Student—Every Teacher—Every Day at the 2022 Convocation.
The plan includes six strategic priorities developed in coordination with the Board of Trustees and stakeholders in the community. The priorities include: Student Outcomes, the district’s foundational commitment; Equity, or ensuring excellent outcomes for every single student; Well-Being, which the superintendent explained includes the well-being of both students and staff; Leadership, including developing strong leadership pipelines and enhancing professional development; Opportunities, including the continued strengthening of both traditional academic programs and the district’s schools of choice; and Engagement.
An experienced educational leader with more than 30 years in public education, Dr. Hinojosa joined Spring ISD in 2014 as the Chief Schools Officer and later served as the district's Chief of Innovation and Equity.
As Chief Schools Officer, she helped oversee the implementation of the district’s Five-Year Strategic Plan focused on student-centered transformation. As chief of Innovation and Equity, she worked to create opportunities for all students from various backgrounds to ensure excellent and equitable outcomes – securing more than $40 million in grants for school and district transformation efforts.
Since becoming Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Hinojosa is ushering in a new Strategic Plan, Every Student – Every Teacher – Every Day: A Blueprint for Excellent and Equitable Outcomes, to build on the work in Spring ISD to continue to improve student achievement and ensure all paths are aligned to that purpose. The plan follows the Board of Trustees’ commitment to six priorities: Student Outcomes, Opportunities, Leadership, Well-Being, Engagement, and Equity.
Most recently under Dr. Hinojosa’s leadership, preliminary data from the TEA shows the district has made great gains in student achievement scores, thus closing the gaps between Spring ISD and statewide results.
In planning for the coming school year, Dr. Hinojosa has also spearheaded the launch of a new Momentum High School, which will offer a path to graduation for students seeking an alternative to the traditional middle school or high school experience. With smaller classes, personalized learning plans, accelerated credit recovery and career training opportunities, Momentum will provide paths to graduation for students who may have become disconnected or disengaged in their traditional high school environment.
Dr. Hinojosa began her career in 1988 as an elementary bilingual teacher with the Houston Independent School District, going on to serve as an elementary principal, middle school principal, executive principal, school services officer, and as an assistant superintendent – a role in which she oversaw 114 magnet programs serving approximately 45,000 students.
Hinojosa holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas at Austin, an Elementary and Bilingual Education Certification from the University of Houston, a Master of Education in educational leadership and management from the University of Houston at Clear Lake and a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from the University of Houston.