This bill 1) allows for the appointment of a “student trustee” in districts that have a campus operating under a “campus turnaround plan;” 2) spells out the procedure for the Commissioner to deny the renewal of an open enrollment charter, or to revoke the charter, or reconstitute the governing body; 3) allows districts to obtain “District of Innovation” status; 4) authorizes the Commissioner to order “monitoring reviews” as well as random on-site visits; 5) requires the agency to adopt written procedures for conducting “special accreditation investigations” which may allow the agency “to obtain information from district employees in a manner that prevents a district or campus from screening the information;”  6) changes “reconstitution” and “repurposing” to “campus turnaround plan”;

A “District of Innovation” must go through a lengthy process to obtain that status, including the development of a Local Innovation Plan. Once obtained, the district may be exempted from certain legal requirements, including the provision that the school board must approve terminations and nonrenewal of Chapter 21 contracts, and the statute pertaining to student uniforms.

DAWG BONE: BE THE FIRST IN YOUR COUNTY TO BE A “DISTRICT OF INNOVATION”!