House Bill 1842, passed during the 84th Legislative Session, provides the opportunity for Texas public school districts to pursue the designation of District of Innovation. This allows local school districts to obtain exemptions from certain provisions of the Texas Education Code to allow more flexibility and local control for innovative programming. On October 17, 2016, the Lake Dallas Independent School District passed a Resolution to initiate the process of designation as a District of Innovation in order to increase local control over District operations and to support innovation and local initiatives to improve educational outcomes for the benefit of students in the community.
On November 14, 2016, the LDISD School Board held a Public Hearing to allow the public to learn more about the designation and provide feedback. The School Board appointed a Local Innovation Committee comprised of community members appointed by the School Board Officers, parents, teacher leaders, and campus and district-level administrators to prepare a Local Innovation Plan to address the needs of the District.
This Local Innovation Committee met to develop an initial draft of the Local Innovation Plan. The plan was posted online for public viewing and feedback on December 16, 2016. On January 17, 2017, the District Education Improvement Committee approved the Local Innovation Plan by a majority vote. On January 23, 2017, the Board of Trustees approved the plan.
