Key Facts
Background
Daniela “Dani” Hernandez earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Boston University in 2011 and then worked as a bilingual teacher in Houston. She later earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of St. Thomas. Hernandez then worked as a teacher and an administrator in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and remained with the district for six years before becoming a real estate agent with Keller-Williams. She is a first-generation graduate from both high school and college [1]. She assumed office on the Houston Board of Education for District III in 2020 [5]. Hernandez has served as the president of the board since 2023 [6, 8].
Key Issues
Accessibility
Hernandez advocates for eliminating educational inequities and closing the achievement gap between children with different socioeconomic backgrounds [1].
Teachers
Hernandez wants to provide a stipend to teachers and to staff members who sign on to work for the school year [8].
Miscellaneous
As the HISD transitions to administration by a board appointed by the Texas Education Administration (TEA), Hernandez plans to ensure the community voice is heard by the appointed board [7]. She wants more clarity on how the transition process to the board of managers may impact the HISD budget [8].
Endorsements
No endorsements could be found.
Sources
1 Houston ISD
2 Twitter
3 Framework Properties
4 Facebook
5 Ballotpedia
6 KHOU 11
7 Houston Public Media
8 ABC 13