Garland ISD has met all of the process requirements outlined by the TEA and the Commissioner of Education to receive the designation as a District of Innovation.

Current District of Innovation Plan

On May 24, 2023, the Districtwide Education Improvement Council (DEIC) held a public meeting where an amendment to the Innovation Plan was reviewed and approved. On June 27, 2023, the Board of Trustees of the Garland Independent School District approved amending the existing Local Innovation Plan.

• Garland ISD's Amended District of Innovation Plan (PDF)
• District of Innovation Amendment Presentation (PDF)
• Notification of Adoption for Amendment (PDF)

The plan covers five years, and it may be amended, rescinded or renewed at any time. An amendment to an approved plan does not change the date and term of designation as a District of Innovation, and exemptions that were already formally approved need not be reviewed.

Garland ISD will use the DEIC to conduct annual reviews of the local innovation plan to consider any amendments and flexibilities to meet the District's needs in the best way. For information about the District of Innovation designation and the local innovation plan reviews, please don't hesitate to contact the Garland ISD Office of Innovation at (972)487-3138.

Additional information about what a District of Innovation means and a list of current Districts of Innovation can be accessed at the Texas Education Agency website.

Benefits

An innovation plan allows our district to:

• gain greater local control in decision-making to benefit our students and staff
• have increased autonomy from state mandates that govern educational programming
• be empowered to innovate

We have the flexibility to implement practices similar to charter schools, including exemptions from mandates such as:

• school start date
• 90% attendance rule
• required minutes

Districts are not exempt from statutes that address curriculum, assessment and graduation requirements nor are they exempt from academic and financial accountability.

Resources for more information

• Visit TASB's District of Innovation page for more information.

If you have difficulty accessing the information in any of these documents because of disability, please contact Jasmine Preston, Coordinator of Web Services at 972-487-3265 or jdpresto@garlandisd.net.