Source: http://www.crosbyton.k12.tx.us/174754_2
Timestamp: 2018-01-24 05:34:14
Document Index: 642823344

Matched Legal Cases: ['§25', '§25', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§25']

Crosbyton CISD - District Innovation Plan
Download the Crosbyton CISD Plan here:
The 84th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1842 in the spring of 2015, providing public school districts the opportunity to become Districts of Innovation. To be eligible, a school district must be rated as Meets Standard in the state accountability system, and adopt a five-year innovation plan.
Crosbyton CISD is utilizing this process in order to have more local control in certain areas. This will allow Crosbyton CISD to have some of the same local flexibility that public charter schools have always been allowed. We feel this is a great opportunity for our local district to tailor a plan based on the needs of our students and community.
Districts of Innovation may be exempt from state statutes to:
Take greater local control as the decision makers over the educational and instructional model for students;
Increase freedom and flexibility, with accountability, relative to state mandates that govern educational programming; and,
Increase empowerment and encourage innovative thinking.
This plan will be in effect for the 2018 - 2019 school year through the 2022 – 2023 school year. This plan may be amended at any time by the committee, with approval of the Board of Trustees.
District of Innovation Planning Committee
Member Name District/Community Role
Shawn Mason Superintendent
Glen Hill Secondary Principal
Sharon West Elementary Principal
Stacy Mason District Counselor
Rick Jones High School Teacher
Brittany Huseman CTE Teacher
Terri Davis Middle School Teacher
Julia Berry Elementary Teacher
Keily Longo Elementary Teacher
Gloria Childers Secondary Parent (High School)
Tammy Dunn Secondary Parent (Middle School)
Victoria Salas Elementary Parent
Member Name Board Position
Clifford Trull President
Kay Alley Vice-president
Jesse Salinas Secretary
Bessie Morris Member
Donna Arnold Member
Frank Rodriguez Member
Steve Henn Member
Crosbyton CISD, in conjunction with the District of Innovation Committee, proposes the following flexibilities with the Texas Education Code to provide the best educational opportunities for students at Crosbyton CISD.
School Calendar – TEC §25.0811 states a school district may not begin student
instruction before the 4th Monday of August. TEC §25.0812
states a school district may not schedule the last day of
school for students for a school year before May 15th.
CCISD Proposal – The flexibility of a locally approved start date allows the district to
determine, on an annual basis what best meets the needs of
the students and local community. The flexibility of this start date
also offers the following opportunities:
– Balancing the number of semester days.
– An early start date allows students an additional week of
instruction prior to state assessments.
– Creates flexibility for the district to pursue other calendar options
best suited for our identified populations.
– Provides a greater choice of Professional Development
CCISD Guidelines –The district, in conjunction with the District Decision Making
Committee will determine, on an annual basis when the
school year will begin and end.
Teacher Certification – §21.003 states that a person may not be employed as a
teacher, teacher intern, or teacher trainee unless the person
holds an appropriate certification or permit issued by
CCISD Proposal – In order to best serve Crosbyton CISD students,
decisions on certification will be handled locally. Based on
local need, this exemption from teacher certification
requirements will enable greater flexibility in staffing and will
enrich applicant pools in specific areas of need. This
exemption will allow industry-expert professionals to
transition into the teaching profession in Career and
Technology, and assist in staffing high need’s courses.
Often, there are experienced certified teachers in our district,
who could teach a course outside of their certification area
due to their education, background, and/or experience. Local
decisions outside of the state certification requirements
would allow innovation and flexibility in scheduling to meet
our student’s needs.
CCISD Guidelines – The campus principal may submit to the superintendent a
request to allow a certified teacher to teach a subject and/or
grade level out of his/her field. The principal must specify the reason
for the request and document what credentials the certified teacher
possesses, qualifying this individual to teach the subject. An
individual with experience in a Career and Technology field
may be eligible to teach a vocational skill or course.
An individual may hold a teaching certification in another state
for core areas or Career and Technology. An individual may
have background, experience, skills, or work related/industry
experience to work full-time or part- time in a designated area.
The principal will submit a request to the superintendent for
local certification. The principal must specify the reason for
the request and document what credentials the individual
possesses, qualifying this individual to teach the subject.
(Special Ed and Bilingual teachers must maintain SBEC Certification)
The superintendent will approve or deny the request for local
Teacher Contracts – TEC §21.401 requires a ten-month teacher contract to be 187 days.
TEC §21.102 requires teachers who have been employed in a Texas
school district for 5 of the previous 8 years to be placed on a
probationary contract not to exceed one year.
CCISD Proposal – The first flexibility would reduce the teacher contract days from
187 to a decreased length with no effect on teacher salaries.
This would better align the teacher days to the 75,600 minutes
required of students. This will increase the daily rate the district
pays teachers, enhance teacher recruitment, and improve teacher
CCISD Guidelines - The district in conjunction with the District Decision Making
Committee, will determine the number of days students will
attend class, when they develop the District Calendar. The
District will then determine the number of additional staff
development days required for the CCISD staff.
CCISD Proposal - The second request would allow the CCISD administration
extended time for the evaluation and training of new
personnel. CCISD is committed to developing an
outstanding teaching staff, and this exemption will provide
the district with the flexibility to work with new hires on their
teaching skills by extending the 5 of 8 employee’s probation
period up to three years.
CCISD Guidelines - The campus principal will submit to the superintendent a
request that an employee that meets the 5 of 8 criteria be
terminated, rehired on a probationary contract, or rehired on
a term contract, prior to the superintendent presenting his
recommendations for employment to the CCISD Board of
Inter-District Transfers - Under TEC§25.036, a district may choose to accept, as
transfers, students who are not entitled to enroll in the
district, and this code has been interpreted to require a
transfer to be for a period of one school year.
CCISD Proposal - Crosbyton CISD maintains a transfer policy under FDA
(Local). Students who transfer into the district under this
policy are expected to follow the attendance requirements,
rules, and regulations of the district. On rare occasions,
student behavior warrants suspension, placement in a
disciplinary alternative program, or expulsion. In addition,
student attendance may fall below the TEA truancy
standard. In these cases, and following reasonable
corrective measures, Crosbyton CISD seeks exemption
from the one-year transfer commitment.
CCISD Guidelines - Nonresident students who have been accepted as inter-
district transfer students may have such transfer status
revoked by the superintendent at any time during the year,
if the student is assigned discipline consequences of
suspension, placement in a disciplinary alternative program,
or expulsion. In addition, students not meeting the State’s
90% attendance standard, may also be subject to immediate
revocation of their transfer status.