Kountze ISD
District of Innovation Plan (HB1842)
Term of Designation 5 Years:  August 2020-August 2025

Innovation District- Kountze ISD

House bill 1842, passed during the 84th legislative session, permits Texas public school districts to become districts of innovation and to obtain exemption from certain provisions of the Texas Education Code (TEC).

On May 26, 2020, the Kountze ISD Board of Trustees passed a resolution for the sole purpose of exemption from TEC 25.0811 & 25.0812 First/Last Day of Instruction.  This resolution initiated the process of designation as a District of Innovation (DOI) in order to gain local control over operations and to support innovation at the local level in order to improve educational outcomes for the benefit of our students and community.

On June 4, 2020, the board held a public meeting and made the determination to pursue the district of innovation designation for the sole purpose of exemption from TEC 25.0811 & 25.0812.  At that time, the board gave the superintendent the authority to appoint the Local Innovation Committee (LIC) representing the district’s various stakeholders including teachers, administrators, parents, and community members.

On June 10, 2020 the Local Innovation Committee met to draft and discuss the Local Innovation Plan.  At that meeting the committee sought input from community members.  This is a 5 year innovation plan from August 2020 through August 2025.  This plan may be amended, rescinded, or renewed if the action is approved by a majority vote of the LIC and a two-thirds majority vote of the board of trustees.

Based on recommendations by the LIC, with input from various stakeholders, the committee recommends the following plan:
Exemptions Requested from the Texas Education Code
Flexible Calendar:  First/Last Day of Instruction
Exemption from TEC 25.0811 and TEC 25.0812

Related Board Policies:

EB Legal

Description of current provisions :

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 15.

Benefit of Exemption to Kountze ISD:

Flexibility to allow instruction to begin earlier in August will allow the district to balance the amount of instructional time between semesters which will allow teachers to better pace our curriculum and deliver quality instruction before the first semester is over.  Also, students will have additional instructional days before state testing and allow students to enroll in college courses that start early in June.

Description of Plan:

The KISD seeks local control over the start and end dates of the school year.  Having the flexibility to locally set a school start and end date allows for a school calendar which addresses the local needs of our community and emphasizes continually engaged learning activities, college & career readiness, and social and emotional needs of students.  This will better balance the days of instruction each semester.  It will also allow secondary schools the additional flexibility in order to promote attendance and course completion incentives.

Local Innovation Committee Members

Laura Arena - Teacher
Jenny Parrot- Teacher
Melonee Fife- Teacher
Tami Simon- Teacher
Amanda Collins- Teacher
Shannon Anderson- Teacher
Courtney Courts- Teacher
Dana Ramsey- Teacher
Angela Childress- Teacher
Joe Rasnick- Teacher
Brad Long- Teacher
Cristi Linn- Teacher
Amy Smart- Counselor
Rene Williams- Counselor
Beth Richardson- Counselor
Stacie Arsement- Counselor
Codi Richardson- Community Member
Brent Slaughter- Chief of Police
Jeremy Kunk- Business Member
Jamie Harper- Principal
Michael Hatton- Principal
Connie Joubert-Principal
Thomas Cooley- Principal
Spencer Mathews- Director of Technology
James Stevenson- Assistant Superintendent
Dr. Shane Reyenga- Superintendent
 

District of Innovation

Kountze ISD Timeline

May 26, 2020 Resolution to begin the process of developing a plan for District of Innovation by the Board of Trustees/ Appoint Committee

June 4, 2020 Public Hearing to discuss LIP/ Board Approved LIP

June 10, 2020 Review Plan for District of Innovation/ Committee discusses revises Local Innovation plan/ LIP Posted on the district website and TEA notified of intent

July 2020 Plan Submitted to TEA

The Local Innovation Plan (LIP) begins August 2020-2021 and runs through August 2024-2025.