Gina Hinojosa

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Survey Responses

HAS NOT RESPONDED TO THE 2026 ATPE CANDIDATE SURVEY.


Did not respond to the 2024, 2022, 2020, or 2018 ATPE Candidate Survey.

Below are the candidate's responses to our 2016 survey:

1. Is there a need to increase funding in order to meet the needs of our growing student population and ensure that students have access to high-quality teachers? If so, how would you recommend securing more revenue for public education?

Yes. Texas needs to increase total funding for public education. At a minimum, the state should fully restore the $5.4 billion in cuts that were made in 2011. Texas spends less per student than it did in 2008 despite an increase in the school population and increased performance standards. It should also update the funding formulas — many of which haven't been updated for over 30 years. Instead, Texas has chosen not to increase its investment in public education despite the ruling from a district judge that the school finance system is unconstitutional. The legislature should look at the following funding sources to identify additional revenue for public education: • Repeal the cut to the franchise tax made in 2015 ($2.6 billion); • Eliminate additional border security ($800 million); • Pay for DPS from the Highway Fund revenue, not from General Revenue; and • Use funds from the Rainy Day fund.

 

2. On what types of programs or specific areas of need would you prioritize the spending of state funds for public education?

The state needs to update the funding formulas to ensure equity among districts, and it needs to increase the overall level of support, ensuring that every district has more resources, not less. Although districts generally prefer additional funding to flow through formula funding, I would support dedicated funding to specific programs that ensure all students have access to certain services and programs such as: expansion of full-day preK for all students and restoration of funding to the Student Success Initiative (SSI). SSI ensures that students receive the instruction and support they need to succeed academically in reading and math, and it provides funds for programs and interventions that help students who have failed or are at risk of failing state-mandated tests. While the state increased accountability standards for students in 2011, it decreased funding to help students get there. I also support an across the board teacher/support staff pay raise at the state level that is not supplanted by a decrease at the local level, as well as an increase in the state contribution to teacher health insurance.

 

3. Would you vote to create a voucher, tax credit, grant, scholarship program, or any other type of incentive that would help cover the cost for students to attend non-public schools in grades K-12? Why or why not?

No – I will not support any proposal to create a voucher, or a neo-vouchers program in Texas. I will actively oppose any effort to pass legislation that supports private and religious school vouchers that subsidize private school education at taxpayer expense. Lt. Gov. Patrick has indicated that he will propose new ways to shift public dollars to private schools, including a program with a misleading name: "equal opportunity scholarships." Make no mistake – this "scholarship" program is a private school voucher that allows corporations to divert their state tax payments to pay for private and religious school tuition instead of going into the state's General Revenue to support public schools and other programs. This proposal will have serious budgetary implications for our public schools. Tax credits like the ones proposed by Lt. Gov. Patrick that divert dollars from the state's general revenue to pay tuition at private schools decrease the available dollars that should go to support our public schools and students. Any direct or indirect effort to shift public dollars away from public schools to pay tuition at private or religious schools is a voucher – no matter what it's called.

 

4. Would you vote to maintain a hard cap on the number of students per class, or should school administrators be given more flexibility to increase class sizes? (Currently, the law imposes a cap of 22:1 in grades K-4 but allows schools to obtain a waiver, a step a number of them routinely take.)

There is research supporting smaller class size to increase student achievement and narrow the achievement gap. There is also research that shows a boost in performance when there is increased per pupil spending. Schools and districts are caught in the squeeze when state funding per pupil is reduced, while at the same time, the student population increases - factors that can affect district decisions about class size. In fact, there was an increase in requests for class size waivers following the budget cuts made to public education in 2011. While I will support maintaining class size limits, with the opportunity for districts to request a waiver, as a local School Board member, I also know that districts can face hard choices about how to honor those limits given the serious budget constraints they face from funding cuts to public education. The answer is to fully fund public education, eliminating the budget constraints and decreasing the need for class size waivers.

 

5. What do you feel is the proper role of standardized testing in Texas's public education system? For instance, should tests be used for school accountability purposes, for evaluating teachers, for measuring the progress of students, etc.?

Testing should be used to assess student performance as a tool to guide instruction, intervention, and professional development so that the needs of students are addressed individually as well as at campus and district wide and resources can be targeted to areas of need. Using data effectively requires teaching planning time and support from the central office and the administration so that it can be discussed openly and without retribution. Testing should not be a punitive measure used to fire teachers or to close neighborhood schools which are inevitably schools in low-income neighborhoods where students face social and economic challenges.

 

6. Local decisions on teacher pay and whether to continue a teacher's employment are often based on evaluations. To what extent, if any, should a teacher's evaluation be based on his students' scores on state standardized tests? If you believe student test scores should factor into a teacher's evaluation, how would you recommend evaluating teachers in grades or subjects for which there are no state standardized tests?

I do not support using student scores on state standardized tests in teacher evaluations, although I will work with teacher organizations to determine how to best meet state requirements. The research is still very mixed regarding the accuracy of value-added models (VAM) used to measure student progress. In addition, there is no test data to use for teachers in subject areas that are not tested, leaving a big gap in the evaluation system. Finally, the use of test scores reinforces the use of state standardized tests results as a punitive measure for low-performing schools and promotes "teaching to the test. Teacher evaluations should use diverse evidence that includes an overall profile of teacher accomplishment.

 

7. Do you believe that the state should maintain a floor for classroom teacher salaries that includes annual increases based on experience over the first 20 years of a teacher's career?

I support a minimum salary schedule for teachers, regular salary increases, and an overall increase in teacher salaries to overcome a pay deficit in teacher salaries when they are compared to other professional jobs with similar entry level requirements (TEA 2014).

 

8. If a public school in your district failed to meet state accountability standards, what course of action would you recommend? Are there circumstances in which you would support allowing a private entity to take over the management of that school (for instance, by converting it to a charter school, placing it under a special statewide district for low-performing schools, replacing the elected school board, or hiring an outside entity to operate the school)?

I do not support allowing charter organizations, management companies, or an achievement authority to take over local schools that do not meet state accountability standards. I support the community school concept that provides additional resources to local schools to help them address the underlying factors that affect student performance by providing comprehensive support services to students and families, increasing academic support and interventions, bringing community resources into the schools, and supporting teachers and the administration.

 

9. The cost of health insurance for active educators has dramatically increased over the last decade, while the portion paid by the state has remained flat and significantly lagged behind that of private employers. How would you address the increasing cost of covering the education workforce's health insurance needs?

I will support legislation to increase the state contribution to health insurance for all school employees. The state's contribution has been stagnant, while costs have escalated. The cost of this increase could be covered by the revenue sources listed in question 1.

 

10. Do you believe the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) should be maintained as a traditional defined benefit pension plan for all future, current, and retired educators, or would you vote to convert TRS to a defined contribution plan that is more like a 401(k), in which future benefits are not guaranteed? Why?

I support maintaining TRS as a traditional defined benefit pension plan that honors its commitment to teachers and staff. The defined pension serves as an incentive to recruit and retain high quality and experience educators. I would not support converting to a 401(k) plan that does not guarantee pensions.