District of Innovation

• 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 mandates such as:
  • Site-based decision making processes (to the extent required by state law) 
  • Teacher benefits
  • Teacher contracts
  • Teacher certification (except as required by federal law) 
  • Teacher appraisal system
  • Student discipline provisions (with some key exceptions, like the requirement to have a code of conduct and restrictions on restraint and seclusion)
  • The 90 percent attendance rule (but compulsory attendance still applies)
  • Minimum minutes of instruction
  • Class size ratio 
  • Uniform school start date 

Depending on the innovation plan, the District may have some flexibility in the use of compensatory education funds. As a DOI, MISD has the ability to pursue flexibility choices, especially with respect to the school calendar and attendance, which could impact funding calculations positively.

Policy changes will correlate with innovation plan changes. As a DOI, revisions to local policies may be required as well as adjustments to legal policies to reflect legal provisions affected by the District’s innovation plan.