The DMN is reporting that DISD Supt. Michael Hinojosa has told the Dallas school board that he may be a finalist to lead the Cobb County School District, which is located northwest of Atlanta. A formal announcement is expected later this evening.

Following a few weeks in September, when Hinojosa flirted with the superintendent’s job in Las Vegas, the Dallas board extended his contract for three years (giving him a five-year deal), and Hinojosa pledged that he wouldn’t seek other job opportunities. His interest in the Georgia job appears to have caught Dallas board members by surprise.

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If true, Hinojosa’s leaving — or even his intent to leave — casts a shadow over the Dallas board’s efforts to deal with what could be as much as a $120 million funding shortfall for the upcoming school year.

Continuity in DISD’s leadership has contributed to what has been a fairly drama-free budget process so far, but Hinojosa’s departure could turn what has been an organized effort into a much more exciting process. And that’s “exciting” in a not-so-good way.