Fort Bend ISD is one step closer to becoming a district of innovation. The committee tasked with deciding which state rules the district should exempt itself from will present its plans Feb. 8 at a public hearing. Districts of innovation can be exempt from certain state education mandates as a way of giving the school district more local control. For example, districts may exempt themselves from following some attendance-related requirements but not from administering state tests. FBISD's committee was responsible for selecting which rules the district would no longer need to uphold as an innovation district. Shelby McIntosh of the education consulting company K12 Insight is leading the group, while Debra Esterak, an attorney with law firm Rogers, Morris & Grove, is providing legal counsel. The committee finalized its proposal in January and members considered exempting FBISD from rules concerning school calendars and professional development, according to meeting minutes. The state’s education code sets strict rules about when schools may begin classes in the fall, and many districts of innovation have exempted themselves from the regulations. FBISD has had difficulty finalizing the 2017-18 school calendar because of the rules, and according to a letter from Superintendent Charles Dupre posted on the FBISD website in January, is still working on it. Related to professional development, the committee discussed Jan. 18 giving schools freedom to offer more varied types of staff training, according to meeting minutes. District officials did not expand on which training options the committee considered. What happens next? After the innovation plan is presented to the FBISD Academic Advisory Council, the plan will need to be posted publicly for 30 days for community input. The board of trustees is slated to consider the plan in April, according to the district’s website. If approved, the plan would be filed with the state, as required in House bill 1842. The 2015 law created the districts of innovation guidelines. Online learning discussed Committee members also discussed FBISD becoming an accredited “online learning district,” where students take classes online. However, some committee members voiced concerns over costs, and whether some students would be shut out from being able to participate in online classes due to a lack of access to technology. Online learning districts are unrelated to districts of innovation.