San Angelo ISD board renews District of Innovation amid new teacher-certification rules

San Angelo ISD trustees on May 18 approved a renewal of the district's District of Innovation (DOI) plan for 2026'31 that reflects changes from the recent legislative session, district staff said.

District staff explained the renewal retains local flexibilities in non'foundational areas such as career and technical education but incorporates statutory changes that require appropriate content certification for K'5 reading and mathematics beginning in 2026'27 and extend certification requirements to additional foundational subjects in 2027'28. The modification removes certain alternative qualifications in core areas that had been allowed under earlier iterations of the DOI.

Dr. Gomez and other staff told trustees the district will continue to communicate with parents when a non'certified instructor is used outside of the now'limited exceptions and that local certification pathways remain available for specialized CTE and innovative courses. The renewal also replaces a fixed first'day date with a rolling rule that school shall begin no earlier than the second Monday in August and clarifies grievance timelines affected by recent legislation.

Trustees approved the renewal by a 5'00 vote. Staff said they will continue to work with the district's community-based accountability committee (CBAS) on any future DOI amendments.

Why it matters: The DOI lets districts exercise local flexibility from some state rules; the renewal preserves that flexibility for noncore programs while aligning the district to new state certification requirements in core subjects.