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District of Innovation

Districts of Innovation

House Bill 1842 was passed in the 84th Legislative Session which gives traditional school districts most of the flexibilities available to the state's open enrollment charter schools.  Any district with an academic performance rating of at least Academic Acceptable is eligible to become a District of Innovation (DoI).

 

The Districts of Innovation (DoI) plan allows a local school district to pursue specific innovations in curriculum, instruction, governance, parent or community involvement, school calendar, budgeting, or other areas.  The innovation plan also allows a district the opportunity to seek exemptions from many Texas Education Code requirements resulting in more local control.  Each innovation plan is expected to be unique to each school district. A district's plan must be posted online for a minimum of 30 days and the District Advisory Committee must approve it before it could go back to the Board for approval. The term of the designation as a district of innovation may not exceed 5 years.

 

Some areas where Districts of Innovation can gain flexibility include school start and ending date, minimum minutes of instruction, class size ratio, and teacher certification. 

 

Districts of Innovation cannot be exempted from requirements including Boards of Trustees, PEIMS reporting, criminal history checks, curriculum and graduation requirements, bilingual education, special education, PreK programs, academic accountability including student assessments, financial accountability, open meetings and public records rules, and purchasing regulations.

 

Burkeville ISD began the process of becoming an District of Innovation on December 21, 2017.  Throughout the next six months, meetings were held with the District of Innovation Committee, brought to the Board of Trustees and the public for discussion, and the final plan was adopted by the Board of Trustees on June 26, 2018.

 

District Information:

Burkeville ISD’s District of Innovation Plan

 

Adopted District of Innovation Plan 2023-2028

 

 

Additional Information and Resources:

TASB District of Innovation Q&A

TASB Process to Become a District of Innovation

TASB Final Rules from TEA on Districts of Innovation

TEA Information Regarding a District of Innovation