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San Felipe‑Del Rio CISD weighs waivers and a five‑year District of Innovation exemption as elementary classes exceed state limits
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Rios reported multiple PreK–4 classrooms exceed Texas’ 22‑student limit; the board discussed submitting individual waivers, hiring certified teachers or pursuing a five‑year District of Innovation exemption that would set a local cap.
San Felipe‑Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District leaders on Aug. 18 told trustees several elementary classes exceed the state’s 22‑student limit for PreK–4 and outlined three response options: submit classroom waivers after the 30th instructional day, recruit and hire certified teachers to create additional sections, or seek a District of Innovation (DOI) exemption that could set a local cap (administration discussed using 25 as a limit) for up to five years.
Superintendent Dr. Rios said the district currently has certified teachers in all elementary classrooms but that many classes are one to three students over the limit. Examples cited in the presentation included multiple third‑grade classes that are one student over, a first‑grade classroom at 26 students (four above the limit), and other single classrooms across campuses exceeding the 22‑student benchmark.
Dr. Rios described the tradeoffs: creating new classrooms requires balancing staffing and could result in non‑certified long‑term substitutes in some sections, while a DOI exemption would allow a higher local cap for five years and filing individual waivers would address specific over‑enrolled classes after the 30th day. “It is not my recommendation that we create an additional classroom because again we would have to balance that classroom and that would be a significant number of students that would not have a certified teacher,” Dr. Rios told trustees.
Board members pressed for more detail on special‑education and bilingual student distribution. A trustee asked for numbers showing how special‑education students are distributed across classrooms; administration said those students receiving services were not included in the class‑count summary and agreed to provide a report before the next meeting. Trustees also asked whether a DOI would apply to bilingual sections; administration said principals plan schedules and aides to try to keep bilingual supports dedicated to classrooms during core instruction.
Trustee Miles asked whether a DOI exemption would last five years; administration confirmed it would. Trustees and administration agreed to return with additional data — including special‑education distributions and vacancy/hiring plans — before making a final choice between waivers, hiring, or a district‑level exemption.
No final action to adopt a DOI was taken at the meeting; the board discussed the options and the superintendent recommended pursuing a DOI exemption as the preferred administrative approach if staffing shortages persist.
