Nacogdoches ISD’s Board of Trustees during its regular meeting formally adopted the District of Innovation proposal March 23. The board also adopted the calendar for the 2023-24 academic year (CLICK HERE to view the calendar).
The measure approved by trustees provides NISD flexibility in three areas: hiring and keeping staff for difficult-to-fill positions, especially in the Career and Technical Education department, where instructors with industry experience are needed; more control over start and end times on the district’s academic calendar; and the ability to adjust the timeframe for when and how often NISD seeks bids for the district depository bank.
During the March 23 meeting, chairpersons who headed up committees assigned to the three areas of the proposed plan described for trustees the efforts that went into creating the proposals. The committees were made up of NISD staff, including teachers from each district campus, as well as a parent and a student.
Before trustees considered adopting the proposal, the District of Innovation plan was posted on the NISD website for 30 days (and can still be viewed by CLICKING HERE).
In December, Nacogdoches ISD’s Board of Trustees had unanimously adopted a resolution to begin the process under Texas Education Code to become a District of Innovation (DOI).
Becoming a District of Innovation provides public schools in Texas with accessibility to more local control. The option of becoming a District of Innovation has existed since 2015 and was created by the Texas Legislature to provide public school districts with similar opportunities as charter schools.