(a) A local or regional board of education for a school district identified as a priority school district, pursuant to section 10-266p, may, through agreement with the organizations designated or elected as the exclusive representatives of the teachers’ and administrators’ units, as defined in section 10-153b, convert an existing public school into an innovation school or establish a new school as an innovation school, in accordance with the provisions of this section, for purposes of improving school performance and student achievement. For purposes of this section, an innovation school is a school in which: (1) Faculty and district leadership are responsible for developing an innovation plan, as described in subsection (b) of this section, under which the school operates and the administrators of the school are responsible for meeting the terms of the innovation plan; or (2) an external partner is responsible for developing the innovation plan, as described in subsection (b) of this section, under which the school operates and the external partner is responsible for meeting the terms of the innovation plan. For purposes of this section, an external partner may include a public or private institution of higher education, nonprofit charter school operators, educational collaboratives or a consortia authorized by the Commissioner of Education that may include public or private institutions of higher education, parents, the organizations designated or elected as the exclusive representatives of the teachers’ and administrators’ units, as defined in said section 10-153b, superintendents or boards of education. The local or regional board of education shall decide whether the faculty and district leadership or an external partner is responsible for developing the innovation plan.

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(b) (1) An innovation school established under this section shall operate according to an innovation plan. Such plan shall articulate the areas of autonomy and flexibility in curriculum, budget, school schedule and calendar, school district policies and procedures, professional development, and staffing policies and procedures, including waivers from or modifications to contracts or collective bargaining agreements. Such innovation plan shall be developed by the faculty and district leadership or an external partner by means of an innovation plan committee. Membership of the innovation plan committee developed by (A) faculty and district leadership shall consist of at least nine members, but not more than eleven members, (i) five of whom shall be selected by the local or regional board of education and shall include (I) the superintendent of schools for the school district, or his or her designee; (II) a member of the local or regional board of education, or his or her designee; (III) two parents who have one or more children enrolled in the school, or, in the case of a new school, parents from the district; and (IV) the principal of the school, or, in the case of a new school and where a principal has not yet been hired, a principal from the school district in which the new school is located, (ii) two of whom shall be certified teachers of the school appointed by the exclusive bargaining representative of the teachers’ unit chosen pursuant to section 10-153b, or, in the case of a new school and where no certified teachers have yet been hired, two certified teachers appointed by the exclusive bargaining representative of the teachers’ unit chosen pursuant to section 10-153b, and (iii) not more than four of whom the local or regional board of education deems appropriate; (B) an external partner shall consist of at least nine members, but not more than eleven members, (i) seven of whom shall be selected by the local or regional board of education and shall include (I) the superintendent of schools for the school district, or his or her designee; (II) a member of the local or regional board of education, or his or her designee; (III) two parents who have one or more children enrolled in the school, or, in the case of a new school, parents from the district; (IV) the principal of the school, or, in the case of a new school and where a principal has not yet been hired, a principal from the school district in which the new school is located; and (V) two of whom shall represent the external partner, (ii) two of whom shall be certified teachers of the school appointed by the exclusive bargaining representative of the teachers’ unit chosen pursuant to section 10-153b, or, in the case of a new school and where no certified teachers have yet been hired, two certified teachers appointed by the exclusive bargaining representative of the teachers’ unit chosen pursuant to section 10-153b, and (iii) not more than two of whom the local or regional board of education deems appropriate. A majority vote of the innovation plan committee shall be required for approval and implementation of the innovation plan.

(2) The innovation plan shall include, but not be limited to: (A) A curriculum plan that includes a detailed description of the curriculum and related programs for the proposed school and how the curriculum is expected to improve school performance and student achievement; (B) a budget plan that includes a detailed description of how funds shall be used in the proposed school to support school performance and student achievement that is or may be different than how funds are used in other public schools in the district; (C) a school schedule plan that includes a detailed description of the ways the program or calendar of the proposed school may be enhanced or expanded; (D) a staffing plan, including any proposed waivers or modifications of collective bargaining agreements, subject to agreement with the exclusive bargaining representative for the certified employees employed at the school, chosen pursuant to section 10-153b and in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of this section; (E) a policies and procedures plan that includes a detailed description of the unique operational policies and procedures to be used by the proposed school and how the procedures will support school performance and student achievement; and (F) a professional development plan that includes a detailed description of how the school may provide professional development to its administrators, teachers and other staff.

(3) In order to assess the proposed school across multiple measures of school performance and student success, the innovation plan shall include measurable annual goals, including, but not limited to, goals relating to the following: (A) Student attendance; (B) student safety and discipline; (C) student promotion and graduation and dropout rates; (D) student performance on the state-wide mastery examination, pursuant to section 10-14n; (E) progress in areas of academic underperformance; (F) progress among subgroups of students, including low-income students, limited English-proficient students and students receiving special education; and (G) reduction of achievement gaps among different groups of students.

(c) Nothing in this section shall alter the collective bargaining agreements applicable to the administrators, teachers and staff in the school, subject to the provisions of sections 10-153a to 10-153n, inclusive, and such collective bargaining agreements shall be considered to be in operation at an innovation school, except to the extent the provisions are waived or modified in the innovation plan and agreed to by a two-thirds vote of the members of the exclusive bargaining representative employed or to be employed at the innovation school.

(d) Innovation schools authorized under this section shall be evaluated annually by the superintendent of schools for the school district. The superintendent shall submit the evaluation to the local or regional board of education and the Commissioner of Education. The evaluation shall determine whether the school has met the annual goals outlined in the innovation plan for the school and assess the implementation of the innovation plan at the school. The superintendent may amend or suspend one or more components of the innovation plan if the superintendent determines, after one year, an amendment is necessary because of subsequent changes in the school district that affect one or more components of such innovation plan. If the superintendent determines that the school has substantially failed to meet the goals outlined in the innovation plan, the local or regional board of education may: (1) Amend one or more components of the innovation plan; (2) suspend one or more components of the innovation plan; or (3) terminate the authorization of the school, provided the amendment or suspension shall not take place before the completion of the second full year of the operation of the school and the termination shall not take place before the completion of the third full year of the operation of the school. Any amendment to or suspension of any component of the innovation plan that changes the contract of employment for any teacher employed at the school shall be approved by a two-thirds vote of the members of the exclusive bargaining representative for the teachers employed at the school prior to any such amendment or suspension of the innovation plan.

(e) The local or regional board of education shall allow a student who is enrolled in a school at the time it is established as an innovation school pursuant to this section to remain enrolled in the school if the student and the student’s parents choose to have the student remain.