What is a district of innovation?

In November, the Texas State Teachers Association filed a complaint against Round Rock ISD over its District of Innovation plan approved in October.

A DOI is a Texas Education Agency-sanctioned designation for public school districts that exempts districts from certain state education laws. A DOI could choose to hire industry professionals to teach certain subjects, raise class-size caps, lower mandatory attendance rates and use unique instruction methods. The thought is that with fewer restrictions, districts could pursue more innovative practices. But opponents argue the concept is too far-reaching and a risk to educators’ jobs.

TSTA argues the district violated the Texas Education Code when RRISD developed the plan by not having enough classroom teachers serve on a district-level DOI development committee to meet requirements set by the state code. RRISD’s DOI plan seeks exemption from seven code provisions, including requirements for teacher certification and classroom sizes.

Read more about this development in reporter Evan Marczynski’s story.