³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ

District of Innovation
H.B. 1842 (84th Session of the Texas Legislature) in part amended Chapter 12 of the Texas Education Code (TEC) to create Districts of Innovation. Districts are eligible for designation if certain performance requirements are met and the district follows certain procedures for adoption as outlined in the Statute. The designation provides that the district will be exempt from certain sections of the TEC that inhibit the goals of the district as outlined in the locally adopted Innovation Plan.

The term of the designation as a district of innovation may not exceed 5 years.

Process:
At the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Board of Trustees meeting held on August 8, 2016, the Board adopted a resolution to initiate the process of exploring the opportunity to be designated as a District of Innovation. The Board of Trustees appointed a committee of educators, parents and community members to draft a plan to be considered by ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ stakeholders. The plan was approved by the Board of Trustees on August 23, 2016. ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ now joins a growing list of Texas public school districts that have sought this designation.

• May 2016: District leadership became aware of HB 1842, and representatives attended an informational session hosted by Region 4 Education Service Center.
• July 2016: District administrators met to determine if it would benefit ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ to pursue designation as a District of Innovation. The decision was made to move forward with the process citing the benefits to students and staff of ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ.
• August 8, 2016: The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Board of Trustees began the formal process by unanimously passing a Resolution to explore the possibility of Galena Park I.S.D. becoming a District of Innovation.
• August 23, 2016: At a special called by the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Board of Trustees meeting, District staff conducted a Public Hearing to consider developing a local innovation plan.

After the Public Hearing, the Board of Trustees approved, as presented, the District of Innovation Advisory Committee comprised of 25 campus / district staff members and representatives from district stakeholder groups, such as the local chapter representatives from the Texas Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA), Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), Retired Educators Association, Teacher Leadership Council, Community Leadership Council, and local Ministers’ Alliance.