• District of Innovation Renewal and Amendement Announcement

    February 18, 2022

    Terrell County ISD parents, students, and community members,

    On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, the Terrell County ISD Board of Trustees approved a resolution allowing the district to pursue the renewal of the District of Innovation status that is set to expire at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

    During the 84th Texas Legislative Session, House Bill 1842 was passed.  HB 1842 provided Texas public school districts with the opportunity to pursue the designation of District of Innovation.  Through HB 1842 - District of Innovation, local school districts may obtain exemptions from certain provisions of the Texas Education Code, providing flexibility and local control for innovative programming. 

    Districts of Innovation may be exempt from certain statutes, giving them:

    • Greater local control as the decision maker over the educational and instructional model for students;
    • Empowerment to innovate and think differently.

    Under House Bill 1842, districts are not exempt from statutes including curriculum, graduation requirements, academic and financial accountability.

    Districts wishing to become a District of Innovation must hold at minimum, an academic performance rating of “met standard.”  During the 2018-2019 school year, Terrell County ISD received a rating of “B.” In 2019-2020, Terrell County ISD was not rated due to COVID-19 closures.  In 2020-2021, school ratings were not issued to school districts due to the disaster declaration; however, Terrell County ISD’s performance was at or above the State average on 90% of the indicators. 

    The board of trustees also approved the list of  District of Innovation committee members that will review the current District of Innovation Plan and update it according to the district’s needs.

    • Amanda Magallan – Superintendent
    • Sam Magallan – Director of School Operations
    • Virginia Garza – District School Counselor
    • Tanna Lowrance – Elementary Teacher
    • Tami Carrasco – Elementary/JH Teacher
    • Micaela Fuentez – Secondary Teacher
    • Danny Armstrong – Special Education Teacher
    • Mary Alice Rodriguez, PEIMS Coordinator
    • Kristy Billings, Parent/Business Office Accounts Receivable
    • Judy Houston – Parent
    • Anna Garza – Community Representative/Parent

    The timeline for this District of Innovation process is posted on the TCISD website under the DOI tab.  If you have any questions about this process, please contact me at 432-345-2515.

    Sincerely,

    Amanda A. Magallan, Superintendent