In the two years since Texas lawmakers created the district of innovation, or DOI, system that allows school districts to exempt themselves from portions of the Texas Education Code, more than 60 districts have approved DOI plans. Together, those DOI plans identify more than 50 sections of the state’s education code as targets for exemption, according to a Community Impact Newspaper analysis. The exemption most sought by DOI districts involves a section of the code that mandates the first day of classroom instruction each school year, which cannot begin before the fourth Monday in August. Districts also sought exemption from laws that require teachers to hold appropriate certification, enforce class-size limits and provide 180 days of classroom instruction each school year, according to the analysis. DOI districts and supporters say the system offers operating flexibility and gives public school districts capabilities that were previously only available to charter schools. However, critics such the Texas State Teachers Association worry the power granted to school districts through the DOI system might motivate districts to cut costs rather than improve educational opportunities for students. The 85th Texas Legislature is expected to tackle several issues in the public education arena, and lawmakers have filed several bills regarding the state’s DOI system. Three DOI-related measures were introduced ahead of the Legislature’s Jan. 10 start by state Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-Socorro. Gonzalez’s bills include proposals that would require DOI districts exempting themselves from class-size mandates to provide written notification to parents and guardians, restrict exemptions involving student disciplinary requirements, and allow the state to revoke DOI status from school districts that do not meet performance or financial accountability standards. Some bills filed in advance of the start of the 2017 session relate to education issues that fall within the scope of the state’s DOI system, including one called the School Calendar Choice Act, which would repeal the state’s uniform school start date—the section of the Texas Education Code most commonly exempted by DOI districts. For more analysis on the most-sought exemptions read more here.