Leander ISD’s board of trustees initiated a process to study becoming a district of innovation at its meeting Nov. 16.

Districts of innovation have flexibility when establishing the school year calendar, Superintendent Dan Troxell said. Under the concept, districts can request other local controls available to Texas open-enrollment charter schools, including choosing class-size ratios and certain student discipline provisions.

Since 2015, when the district of innovation designation was established in the Texas Education Code, at least 651 school districts in Texas have become a district of innovation, according to meeting documents.

Troxell said the only reason Leander ISD is interested in the designation is because it would allow the board to consider pushing back the school start date. In doing so, students would be let out earlier for the summer.

There were a “tremendous amount of academic concerns as well as family concerns that were expressed to this administration by this community asking for relief on the calendar,” he said.

One resident, Amy Houchins, spoke at the meeting against "any of the innovation" that could come with becoming a district of innovation, but said the board should state in its resolution that the designation would be just for calendar purposes.

The board’s decision on whether to begin the process “doesn’t mean we’re going to adopt [the district of innovation plan],” board president Pamela Waggoner said.

Although the board approved a resolution to begin studying its district of innovation opportunities, there are many steps that need to be taken before LISD can adopt the designation or amend its calendar.

First, the district must conduct a public hearing and the board will consider assigning an innovation committee, according to meeting documents. If a committee is assigned, it will create a district of innovation plan, which will be posted online for 30 days and sent to the Commissioner of Education.

Before a district of innovation plan becomes final, the District Leadership team and LISD board would have to approve it. The board could potentially take action on the plan in mid-February, according to meeting documents.