What is a district of innovation?

The district of innovation, or DOI, concept, passed by the 84th Texas Legislature, gives independent school districts most of the flexibilities available to Texas’ open-enrollment charter schools. Some of those flexibilities include being able to choose the first day of class, minutes of instruction per day, class-size ratio, and teacher certification and experience.

In April 2016, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD trustees passed a resolution authorizing the district to pursue DOI designation. After passing a resolution, districts are required to pass a local innovation plan, which identifies the Texas Education Code provisions from which the district wants to be exempted.

One of those provisions GCISD wants to be exempt from pertains to the rule that does not allow a school district to begin school before the fourth Monday in August. Trustees are expected to pass the plan at their Feb. 27 meeting. If approved, the plan would begin in the 2017-18 school year and end after the 2021-22 year.

Carroll ISD is exploring the possibility of applying to become a DOI for the 2018-19 school year.