A School of Innovation
-In 2008, the state of Colorado passed the Innovative Schools Act which created a mechanism for schools or districts to apply for innovation status
-This act provides a pathway to design and implement innovative ideas and obtain waivers from state and local policies that may prohibit change.
-Colorado Springs School District 11 applied to the Colorado State Board of Education to develop an innovation zone in School District 11 for CSST
-In February of 2024, the State Board voted unanimously to approve the application for this new zone
-As part of the application to be an innovation school, CSST requested several waivers from the state which were approved in this vote.
-A few waiver examples include CSST having its own board governance structure, flexibility around teacher licensing to utilize industry professionals to teach courses, and flexibility to align programming and resources with student needs
Innovation schools can have the freedom and flexibility like a charter school but with the structure, resources and services of a school district.
”The Best of Both Worlds”
