District of Innovation
What is a District of Innovation?
The District of Innovation concept is part of Texas House Bill 1842, passed during the 84th Legislative Session in 2014, and allows traditional school districts the opportunity to utilize flexible operation strategies similar to open-enrollment charter schools.
Background and Timeline
In 2016, The 84th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1842, which allows traditional public school districts to exempt themselves from certain education laws if they have a District of Innovation designation. To access the exemptions, a school district must adopt an innovation plan in accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), chapter 12A.
At their May 16, 2016 meeting, the Georgetown ISD Board of Trustees adopted a resolution to initiate the process of exploring the option of designating GISD as a District of Innovation.
The GISD Board of Trustees held a public hearing on June 20, 2016, regarding the District of Innovation process. They will be voting on whether or not to continue pursuit of the District of Innovation designation at their July 25, 2016 regular board meeting.
On February 8, 2017, the district advisory committee (locally called District Performance Council) held a public meeting to review the District of Innovation plan. Following the public meeting, the DPC approved the plan by a majority vote.
The GISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved the District of Innovation plan on February 8, 2017. As required by 19 TAC §102.1307 (d), Georgetown Independent School District submitted a letter notifying the Commissioner of Education of the district's designation as a District of Innovation and provided a copy of the DOI plan.
The District Performance Committee (DPC) met during the fall of 2021 to review the DOI plan. The DPC voted to approve the renewal of the DOI plan with a majority vote on December 1, 2021, followed by unanimous approval by the Board on January 18, 2022.
In December 2023, GISD made an amendment related to TEC §37.006 Mandatory Disciplinary Alternative Education Program Placement For E-Cigarettes per the guidance of our District Performance Committee and upon approval of our District's Board of Trustees