Hinojosa Sworn in as Superintendent

Although he has been a superintendent in five school systems, Michael Hinojosa said Monday morning’s swearing-in ceremony was a first for him.

Hinojosa, the 20th superintendent, said he never participated in that kind of tradition.

“Texas doesn’t do that,” Hinojosa. “That was pretty interesting.”

Hinojosa has spent his entire 32-year education career in the Lone Star State, with 15 of the past 18 years as a superintendent.

The five-minute ceemony Monday was also a first for Cobb County Superior Court Judge Reuben Green, who was appointed last year by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

“I swear in lawyers a lot and jurors every month or so, but this is my first time swearing in a superintendent,” Green said after the 8 a.m. ceremony in the district’s Central Office boardroom.

“I know he’s going to do a great job.”

Hinojosa, who was pursued by the Cobb County Board of Education and only officially applied for the position May 12, said he was happy the swearing-in ceremony had arrived.

He also said he looked forward to participating in his first Cobb County school board meeting later this month. The board next meets in a special called meeting July 26 at 1:30 p.m. to set the millage rate, then has a regular meeting at 7 p.m. July 28.

“It’s finally here,” said Hinojosa, who maintained a 4.0 grade point average at the University of Texas while earning his doctorate in education in 2001.

“(It becomes) real when you actually get here and get in your office and make your schedule. I’ll just continue my entry plan of listening to everyone, and that’s working very well.”

Hinojosa said he will start looking for a home in Cobb County once his wife, Kitty, arrives in Marietta next week.

“The (housing) market is really soft in Dallas as well,” said Hinojosa, the district’s first Hispanic superintendent in its 130 years. “I’m not looking forward to selling it.”

A large number of Cobb County School District employees and guests attended the ceremony, along with all Board of Education members except Chairwoman Alison Bartlett and David Morgan.

“I’m excited to see him get started,” said state Rep. David Wilkerson, who represents part of the county. He said he appreciates the lack of a gap in service between Hinojosa and his predecessor, Fred Sanderson, who retired June 30, and that Hinojosa "is someone with big-system experience.”

Hinojosa takes over the 26th-largest school district in the country with about 107,000 students. He leaves the country’s 12th-largest school system with an enrollment of more than 160,000 students.

Alice Stouder, Cobb County’s interim deputy superintendent, said she is excited about working with a superintendent who has “so much experience with large districts.”

“He is very supportive of the fine work we’ve been doing in Cobb County and is ready to take us to new levels of greatness,” she said.

Board member Tim Stultz said he is happy to have Hinojosa in place after from the Board of Education on June 5.

“It’s a new day in Cobb County schools,” Stultz said. “We have a new leader and look forward to the next step he will bring to the school system.”