The Sunnyvale ISD Board of Trustees passed a resolution to pursue designation as a District of Innovation (DOI) on November 28, 2016. A public hearing was held, and the DOI team was appointed in December. Based upon district goals and staff/community feedback, the District of Innovation plan has been drafted and accepted by the committee. The DOI team posted the plan for 30 days, held a public meeting for approval, then sought board approval for the local District of Innovation Plan. The Sunnyvale ISD board of trustees approved the plan on March 27, 2017. Sunnyvale ISD has requested exemption from the Texas Education Codes pertaining to:

1.  First Day of Instruction (EB Legal) (TEC 25.0811)
2.  Class Size Waiver (EEB Legal) (TEC 25.112, 25.113)
3.  Teacher Certification (DK Legal, Local) (TEC 21.003)
4.  Teacher Contracts (DCA Legal) (TEC 21.102)

Public Notice of Meeting Agenda - District of Innovation 3.27.17

House Bill 1842, passed by the 84th Legislature, allows districts to seek designation as a District of Innovation in order to pursue flexibilities available to Texas’ open-enrollment charter schools.

Potential benefits of becoming a District of Innovation include:

• Local control: Districts decide which flexibilities best suit their local needs.
• Customization: Districts can create an innovation plan for a level of school (e.g., only high schools), grade level, or a single campus.
• Autonomy: Districts must submit a district of innovation plan to the Commissioner of Education, but approval is not required.
• Flexibility: Districts will have the flexibility to implement practices similar to charter schools, including exemptions from certain mandates.

On November, 28, 2016, the Sunnyvale ISD Board of Trustees initiated the process by adopting a resolution to pursue designation as a District of Innovation.

The attached file contains the proposed District of Innovation plan recommended by the District of Innovation team.