Pearland, Friendswood ISDs become districts of innovationFriendswood ISD joined the ranks of nearly 80 school districts across the state that have filed for a district of innovation designation.


FISD Superintendent Trish Hanks said the district of innovation designation allows for local administrators and educators, who understand the needs of the specific district, to have control over specific circumstances.


“When you’re in a big state like Texas with over 1,000 public school districts all over the state, the circumstances just aren’t the same from district to district,” Hanks said about the new flexibility given to districts through a district of innovation designation. “To try to make a rule that would fit every one of their needs just doesn’t even make sense.”


The FISD board of trustees voted on final approval of the District of Innovation plan at its February meeting.


A district of innovation designation provides districts, which meet certain performance requirements, certain exemptions from the Texas Education Code. School districts must hold public hearings and submit their plan to the Texas Education Agency to become a district of innovation. The designation may not last longer than five years.


Pearland ISD trustees approved and sent a District of Innovation plan to TEA in November.


“We hope this allows us to discard unnecessary bureaucracy,” PISD Superintendent John Kelly said.


One item that both PISD and FISD included was the ability to set their first day of classes, which law currently dictates must begin on the fourth Monday of August. The new plan allows districts to exempt themselves from the uniform start date and adjust holiday breaks.


Trustees will still have final approval authority over the school calendar and calendar amendments. But an exemption will allow for different calendar options, Hanks said.   


Another exemption both districts sought was the ability to control student-teacher ratios. The TEA currently mandates the student-to-teacher ratio be 22-to-1 in all K-4 classrooms.


“I think a lot of teacher groups across the state are worried that boards could take advantage of that and raise student-teacher ratios,” Kelly said. “We’re taking a different approach, asking, ‘What power does District of Innovation give us to make teachers’ lives or work conditions better?’”


In previous years, school districts would anticipate their classroom needs and would request classroom size waivers if they expected to go over the 22-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. With district of innovation in place, school districts expect they will be unable to request waivers in the future.


“I think most districts think the same way we do,” Kelly said. “Lower student-teacher ratios are beneficial. Right now, our board has pushed very hard to lower student-teacher ratios.”