10/15/2026
CCISDāS PROPOSED DISTRICT OF INNOVATION PLAN: QUESTIONS THE PUBLIC SHOULD ASK
After reviewing the committee draft labeled September 30, 2026, I believe several provisions deserve public attention before any vote.
š“ THE BIGGEST CONCERN: GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
Page 6 proposes exemptions from Texas Education Code §26.011(a) and every requirement of §§26A.001 and 26A.002. It also seeks to extend those exemptions to employee and community grievances to the extent those sections apply.
These provisions address complaint procedures, including review levels, filing and appeal timelines, protection against retaliation against parents and students, and recusal when a reviewer is the subject of a complaint.
The district says returning to locally controlled procedures would improve efficiency. However, the replacement grievance policy is not included in this draft.
That leaves the public unable to see exactly which protections would remain and which would change.
THE FIRST QUESTION TRUSTEES SHOULD ANSWER:
Will you publish the complete replacement grievance policy, identify every protection being changed, and allow public review BEFORE approving this exemption?
Other questions deserve clear answers:
⢠Will parents and students retain explicit protection against retaliation?
⢠Will anyone who is the subject of a grievance be required to step aside from reviewing it?
⢠Will complainants retain access to board-level review?
⢠What deadlines, evidence rules, and written-decision requirements would change?
⢠Could these changes affect pending grievances?
⢠What evidence supports the draftās statement that the previous process āfunctioned ideallyā?
š TEACHER CERTIFICATION AND PARENT NOTIFICATION
The draft allows local credentialing for certain uncertified professionals and assignments outside a teacherās certified field. It includes qualification reviews and one-year board approval.
The public should ask which positions qualify, what training is required, and how the plan complies with newer state certification restrictions.
The draft also still lists §21.057, concerning parent notification about uncertified or inappropriately certified teachers. TEA says districts can no longer claim a DOI exemption from that requirement. That language should be corrected.
š” CALENDARS AND TEACHER BENEFITS
The plan allows an earlier school start while retaining annual board approval. It also includes reducing teacher contract days from 187 to 182 without reducing compensationāa benefit worth preserving.
Those provisions should be evaluated separately from the grievance exemption.
The draft does not expressly place administrators above the board. The concern is that it seeks broad freedom from grievance requirements without showing the public the replacement rules or limits on that authority.
Before trustees vote, residents deserve to know: What authority changes hands, what protections change, and who remains accountable?
Read the proposal, ask questions, and request written answers.
Background:
TCTAās historical discussion of DOI concerns:
https://www.tcta.org/districts-of-innovation-the-reality
TEAās guidance on prohibited exemptions:
https://tea.texas.gov/taa-letters/legislative-updates-related-district-innovation-prohibitions
During the 89th Legislature, three bills were signed into law by Governor Abbott that include new statutory provisions prohibiting districts from exempting themselves from certain requirements of the Texas Education Code (TEC) through a District of Innovation (DOI) plan. The newly prohibited exempti...