Brette Southard

This document details Amherst Independent School District's plan to become a District of Innovation, allowing exemptions from specific Texas Education Code provisions. The plan focuses on enhancing educational opportunities and operational flexibility through key strategies such as local determination of teacher certification, adaptable school start and end dates, adjusted teacher contract days for improved competitiveness and morale, refined inter-district transfer policies, and modified meeting frequency for the School Health Advisory Council.

This transition plan for Amherst Independent School District outlines a strategic approach to achieve 100% certified teachers by the 2029-2030 school year. It addresses rural labor shortages by establishing a structured pathway for uncertified teachers to obtain certification through a partnership with West Texas A&M. The plan focuses on ensuring high-quality instruction during the transition, implementing annual benchmarks for progress, and detailing recruitment and retention strategies for educators.

The Amherst ISD District of Innovation Plan for 2025-2030 aims to provide the district with more local control and flexibility by seeking exemptions from certain sections of the Texas Education Code. The plan focuses on teacher certification, school start and end dates, teacher contract days, inter-district transfers, the School Health Advisory Council, and school district depository contracts. By implementing these exemptions, the district seeks to customize its practices to better suit local needs, enhance teacher recruitment and morale, balance instructional days, and streamline administrative processes.

The Amherst ISD District of Innovation Plan for 2025-2030 focuses on providing local control over teacher certification, adjusting the school start date and last day of school to balance instructional days, reducing teacher contract days to enhance recruitment and morale, modifying inter-district transfer policies, adjusting the frequency of SHAC meetings, and streamlining school district depository contracts to optimize resource allocation and planning for student progress.