§ 194-E:2 — Local Planning and Approval

New Hampshire § 194-E:2

• Jurisdiction: New Hampshire
• Title XV: EDUCATION
• Ch. 194-E: INNOVATION SCHOOLS

Text

I. (a) A public school of a school district may submit to its local school board an innovation plan as described in paragraph III. A group of public schools of a school district or in multiple districts that share common interests, such as geographical location or educational focus, or that sequentially serve classes of students as they progress through elementary and secondary education may jointly submit to their local school board or boards a plan to create an innovation school zone as described in paragraph IV.
(b) The local school board shall hold a public hearing on the plan.
(c) The local school board shall either approve or reject the innovation plan within 60 days after receiving the plan.
(d) If the local school board rejects the plan, it shall provide to the public school or group of public schools that submitted the plan a written explanation of the basis for its decision. A public school or group of public schools may resubmit an amended innovation plan or amended plan for creating an innovation school zone at any time after denial.
(e) If the local school board approves the plan, it may proceed to seek designation of the school as an innovation school or innovation school zone.
II. A local school board may initiate and collaborate with one or more public schools of the school district or other districts to create one or more innovation plans, under paragraph III, or one or more plans to create innovation school zones, under paragraph IV. In creating an innovation plan, each public school that would be affected by the plan shall have the opportunity to participate in creation of the plan. A local school board may approve or create a plan to create an innovation school zone that includes all of the public schools of the school district.
III. Each innovation plan may include the following information:
(a) A statement of the public school's mission and why designation as an innovation school would enhance the school's ability to achieve its mission.
(b) A description of the innovations the public school would implement, which may include, but not be limited to, innovations in school staffing, curriculum and assessment, class scheduling, use of financial and other resources, and faculty recruitment, employment, evaluation, and compensation.
(c) A listing of department of education's administrative rules from which the schools are requesting a waiver and rationale for the waiver request including how and why the waiver is needed to implement its identified innovations.
(d) A listing of the programs, policies, or operational documents within the public school that would be affected by the public school's identified innovations and the manner in which they would be affected. The programs, policies, or operational documents may include, but need not be limited to:
(1) The research-based educational program the public school would implement.
(2) The length of school day and school year at the public school.
(3) The student promotion and graduation policies to be implemented at the public school.
(4) The public school's assessment plan.
(5) The proposed budget for the public school.
(6) The proposed staffing plan for the public school.
(e) An identification of the improvements in academic performance that the public school expects to achieve by implementing the innovations.
(f) An estimate of the cost savings or increased efficiencies, or both, if any, the public school expects to achieve by implementing its identified innovations.
(g) A statement of the level of support for designation as an innovation school or school zone demonstrated by students and parents of students enrolled in the public school, and the community surrounding the public school.
(h) A description of any provision of the collective bargaining agreement in effect for the personnel at the public school that would need to be waived or modified for the public school to implement its identified innovations.
(i) Any additional information required by the local school board of the school district in which the innovation plan would be implemented.
IV. Each plan for creating an innovation school zone submitted by a local school board through collaboration with a group of public schools, may include the information specified in paragraph III for each public school that would be included in the innovation school zone. A plan for creating an innovation school zone may also include the following additional information:
(a) A description of how innovations in the public schools in the school innovation zone would be integrated to achieve results that would be less likely to be accomplished by each public school working alone.
(b) An estimate of any economies of scale that would be achieved by innovations implemented jointly by the public schools within the innovation school zone.
(c) A statement of the level of support for designation as an innovation school demonstrated by students and parents of students enrolled in the public school, and the community surrounding the public school based upon the public hearing.
V. In considering or creating an innovation plan or a plan for creating an innovation school zone, each local school board may consider innovations in the following areas:
(a) Curriculum and academic standards and assessments.
(b) Accountability measures, including but not limited to expanding the use of a variety of accountability measures to more accurately present a complete measure of student learning and accomplishment.
(c) Provision of services, including but not limited to special education services, services for gifted and talented students, services for students for whom English is not the dominant language, educational services for students at risk of academic failure, expulsion, or dropping out, and support services provided by the department of health and human services or county social services agencies.
(d) Teacher recruitment, training, preparation, and professional development.
(e) Teacher employment.
(f) Performance expectations and evaluation procedures for teachers and principals.
(g) School governance and the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of principals in innovation schools or schools within an innovation school zone.
(h) Preparation and counseling of students for transition to higher education or the work force.
VI. Each public school and each local school board may seek and accept public and private gifts, grants, and donations to offset the costs of developing and implementing innovation plans and plans for creating innovation school zones.

Legislative History

2021, 27:1, eff. July 5, 2021.