<p>HOUSTON – Feb. 17, 2017 – The Spring Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a resolution Feb. 14 during its regularly scheduled board meeting to initiate the process of becoming a District of Innovation. With this status, Spring ISD will be able to further personalize how instruction is delivered to students.</p>
<p>Established by the 84th Texas Legislature, the District of Innovation distinction gives traditional independent school districts in Texas access to many of the flexibilities offered to Texas’ open enrollment charter schools.</p>
<p>“If approved, this designation will give us more local control over how instruction and education is delivered to our students,” said Spring ISD Chief of Staff Julie Hill. “There are nearly 100 exemptions to areas of the Texas education code available. Curriculum, instruction, budgeting, the length of the school day as well as the start of the school year can be considered for a district’s local plan. We can also choose to have more flexibility with educator certifications, allowing us to be creative in hiring CTE (Career and Technical Education) instructors and teachers.”</p>
<p>Hill went on to explain that Spring ISD’s final innovation plan, which can be in place for five-years, will be created by the local innovation committee that was also appointed during this month’s meeting. The 20-member committee made up of various district stakeholders — including parents, teachers, business and community members, school administrators, district leadership and trustees — will develop Spring ISD’s innovation plan to further the implementation of the five-year strategic plan, EVERY CHILD 2020. They will also consider the district’s academic needs, staffing requirements and district goals. Once completed, the initial plan will be posted online for public feedback for 30 days. The committee will then meet to review the feedback and finalize the plan.</p>
<p>One exemption that will be considered relates to the start of the school year. Traditionally, Spring ISD’s academic calendar is approved in the month of February; however, this year the process has been delayed until the local innovation committee finalizes the innovation plan and it is approved by the Board of Trustees.</p>
<p>“We will release a calendar for the 2017-18 school year as soon as possible. We know that those dates are key to our community planning,” said Hill. “Our goal is to have as much information as possible as we develop a calendar that fits the local needs of the Spring ISD community.”</p>
<p>Important dates:</p>
<ul>
<li>The plan will be presented to the district’s Advisory Committee on Education (ACE) on March 6. Their approval is needed before the plan can be presented to the Board of Trustees for consideration.</li>
<li>The plan will be posted online for public viewing and feedback March 7-April 6.</li>
<li>The local innovation committee will present the plan to the Board of Trustees for consideration and adoption on April 11.</li>
</ul>
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