New Braunfels ISD to form District of Innovation committee following public hearing

A proposal for New Braunfels ISD to seek a District of Innovation, or DOI, designation has moved forward following a public hearing during the district's regular Feb. 7 meeting.

A DOI designation allows Texas school districts to have more independent control over district operations and select allowances approved by the state. The concept was passed into law in 2015 during Texas' 84th legislative session.

“With the rise of charter schools coming around, this is a great opportunity to look a little deeper on being innovative and seeing which flexibilities work well for New Braunfels ISD,” Superintendent Cade Smith said. “You get to go through all of these [flexibilities] and kind of pick and choose what works best for you and specifically for your district.”

The ability to institute a uniform start date for each school year, review teacher benefits, and determine class sizes and student-to-teacher ratios without the need for a waiver are among flexibilities the district can select, if the committee determines they would be beneficial.

Smith originally brought the proposal to the board in November before trustees voted in December to adopt a resolution to begin the process of gaining the designation.

Now, the district is in the process of forming a committee that will be submitted for board approval in March.

“I want to ask you to ensure that this committee has not just parents on it, but also teachers, aids and others who work on our campuses—the ones who are with our kids at least seven hours a day, day in and day out. The ones who are in the trenches,” former board member Sherry Harrison said during the Feb. 7 meeting.

Once the committee is formed, the members will review the designation and the board will vote on the resolution in the spring before notifying the Texas Education Agency of the district’s decision, Smith said.