Miguel C. Hernandez III has come full circle. Hernandez, who goes by “Mike,” graduated from Fountain Lake High School in Garland County in 1997. In July, he returned to his educational roots in the county, this time as superintendent of the Hot Springs School District.
“I am where I want to be,” he said. “There are many unique things about the Hot Springs School District. We do different things for the kids.
“We have four elementary schools — Gardner STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Magnet School, Langston Aerospace and Environmental Studies Magnet School, Oaklawn Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School and Park International Baccalaureate Magnet School — as well as Hot Springs Intermediate School for fifth- and sixth-graders, Hot Springs Middle School for seventh- and eighth-graders and Hot Springs High School for grades nine through 12,” he said. “As of October, we had 3,646 students in the district.”
Hernandez said the district is applying to the Arkansas Department of Education to convert the high school to a charter school.
“We are trying to get some flexibility to allow our students to choose different pathways to get credible jobs,” he said. “We want to shape the high school to meet the needs of the community. We want to change the dynamic that not everyone has to get a four-year college degree.”
He said the school district has “symbiotic relationships with the community to be partners with them to help the local economy by providing a suitable workforce.”
“We want to do all we can to better our students,” he said.
Prior to accepting the superintendent’s job in Hot Springs, Hernandez was deputy commissioner for the Arkansas Department of Education.
As deputy commissioner, he worked with the department, legislators and school districts on finance, legislation and other educational issues.
“It was the best professional development I got paid to do,” he said with a laugh. “It gave me a better perspective of how the department works.”
Hernandez served as assistant commissioner of fiscal and administrative services before being named deputy commissioner.
“I really enjoyed doing that job, too,” he said.
Before his work at the state education department, Hernandez served as superintendent of the Danville School District, was principal and athletic director for Western Yell County High School in Havana, and taught and/or coached in the Fountain Lake School District, at Hot Springs Middle School and Danville High School, and at Marion Abramson High School in New Orleans.
Hernandez, 36, was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Miguel C. Hernandez Jr. of Little Rock and the late Lisa Castillo. He moved to Temple, Texas, when he was 7.
“My mom’s family was in the restaurant business in Temple and Waco,” he said. “I grew up in the restaurant business — Italian and Tex-Mex. Her family opened LaFiesta [Restaurant and Cantina] in 1963 in Waco.”
When he was 11, Hernandez’s parents divorced, and he moved to Paris, Arkansas, with his father.
“My dad went back to school to become a teacher,” Hernandez said, adding that his father first attended University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, then Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.
“I lived in Paris from sixth grade until the 10th grade, and then we moved to Hot Springs (Fountain Lake),” he said. “My dad was a teacher at Cutter-Morning Star High School. He was there for one year and then went to the Hot Springs School District from 1995-96 until 2013-14. He has been at the Arkansas Department of Education since June 2014 and works with Title III. The Title III program benefits Limited English Proficient (LEP) children and immigrant youth.
Mike Hernandez is the oldest of four children. His siblings — Melissa Bratton, Lanae Hernandez and Zach Hernandez — all live in Hot Springs.
Hernandez said he knew he wanted to go to college after high school but was not sure where.
“Not UCA,” he said with a laugh, referring to the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. “I went to [Arkansas] Boys State there and was sure I did not want to go back. But a UCA recruiter came to our high school and convinced me otherwise.
Hernandez graduated from UCA in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and a minor in math.
“My parents wanted me to go to medical school. I was interested in coaching,” he said.
“Two weeks into my biology class, I wanted to become a principal,” he said, adding that he never thought he would want to be a principal.
He went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in mathematics education from UCA in 2005. He received teacher certification in math, science and physical education from the University of New Orleans. He also received a Master of Education degree in educational leadership and recently completed a doctorate in educational leadership from Harding University in Searcy.
Hernandez went into education “because I wanted to,” he said.
“Growing up, I always liked education. I remember taking part in a summer program while I was still living in Paris, between the eighth and ninth grades,” he said.
“I worked in a summer-school program for kids [in kindergarten] through sixth grade. I helped them with math and science. We made games while doing multiplication,” Hernandez said.
“That was my first interest in education. I love everything about education. I find it hard not to be thinking about how to improve schools all the time. I’m a pretty up-front guy that doesn’t like to sugarcoat things,” Hernandez said.
“I love it here,” he said of Hot Springs. “My wife, Susan, is from Hot Springs, and this is where we want to raise our family.”
Susan Hernandez is a nurse practitioner in the cardiology department at CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs. She is the daughter of Jerry and Mary Stone of Hot Springs and a 1993 graduate of Hot Springs High School.
The couple have three daughters: Sophie, 8; Olivia, 5; and Josie, 3.
“I don’t want to move around anymore,” Hernandez said. “Hot Springs is the perfect size. There are a lot of things to do here. Little Rock is not far away, nor is Dallas. I am a big Cowboys fan.”