(A) Any school of a city, exempted village, or local school district may apply to the district board of education to be designated as an innovation school. Each application shall include an innovation plan that contains the following:

(1) A statement of the school's mission and an explanation of how the designation would enhance the school's ability to fulfill its mission;

(2) A description of the innovations the school would implement;

(3) An explanation of how implementation of the innovations described in division (A)(2) of this section would affect the school's programs and policies, including any of the following that apply:

(a) The school's educational program;

(b) The length of the school day and the school year;

(c) The school's student promotion policy;

(d) The school's plan for the assessment of students;

(e) The school's budget;

(f) The school's staffing levels.

(4) A description of the improvements in student academic performance that the school expects to achieve by implementing the innovations described in division (A)(2) of this section;

(5) An estimate of the cost savings and increased efficiencies, if any, that the school expects to achieve by implementing the innovations described in division (A)(2) of this section;

(6) A description of any laws in Title XXXIII of the Revised Code, rules adopted by the state board of education, or requirements enacted by the district board that would need to be waived to implement the innovations described in division (A)(2) of this section;

(7) A description of any provisions of a collective bargaining agreement covering personnel of the school that would need to be waived to implement the innovations described in division (A)(2) of this section;

(8) Evidence that a majority of the administrators assigned to the school and a majority of the teachers assigned to the school consent to seeking the designation and a statement of the level of support for seeking the designation demonstrated by other staff working in the school, students enrolled in the school and their parents, and members of the community in which the school is located.

(B) Two or more schools of the district may apply to the district board to be designated as an innovation school zone, if the schools share common interests based on factors such as geographical proximity or similar educational programs or if the schools serve the same classes of students as they advance to higher grade levels. Each application shall include an innovation plan that contains the information prescribed by divisions (A)(1) to (8) of this section for each participating school and the following additional information:

(1) A description of how innovations in the participating schools would be integrated to achieve results that would be less likely to be achieved by each participating school alone;

(2) An estimate of any economies of scale that would be realized by implementing innovations jointly.

Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.