According to the GCISD meeting agenda, House Bill 1842 provides the opportunity for Texas public schools to pursue the designation on District on Innovation (DOI). This allows local school districts to obtain exemptions from certain provisions of the Texas Education Code that would allow more flexibility and local control for innovative programming, according to a district memo.
GCISD's originally adopted a five-year plan that started at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year and concluded at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. The district posted the proposed renewal plan on its website on March 8. The plan was then unanimously approved by the District Excellence Committee on April 14 before being presented to the GCISD Board of Trustees on April 25, where it was approved with a 7-0 vote.
Within the newly-renewed plan, GCISD claims flexibility and exemption in several areas:
First day of instruction
The District Excellence Committee, which helps determine the school calendar, will have the flexibility to start the school year earlier than allowed by the Texas Education Code for either the entire district or individual campuses. Texas Education Code currently states a school district may not begin instruction for students for a school year before the fourth Monday in August.
Teacher certification and field-based experience
The district will have the flexibility to establish its own criteria, such as years of experience, qualifications and industry certifications, to qualify for a local GCISD teaching certificate. Candidates seeking employment with GCISD who do not have the appropriate certification or permit for the role will be submitted to the superintendent, who will determine whether it is in the best interest of the district to certify the individual. According to documents provided by the board of trustees, the statutory certification requirements inhibit the district's ability to hire professionals with industry experience to teach Career and Technical Education (CTE) and STEM courses.
Class size
Texas Education Code states that a school district may not enroll more than 22 students in a prekindergarten, kindergarten, first, second, third or fourth grade class. An exemption from this statute allows GCISD more control to monitor appropriate class sizes at the local level.
