From the ECS State Policy Database Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Tenure

This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. State Status/Date Level Summary OH Signed into law 06/2012 P-12 From final bill analysis: Extends the deadlines for a district or educational service center (ESC) to notify a teacher or administrator that the person's contract will not be renewed for the following school year, as follows: (1) From April 30 to June 1, in the case of teachers; and (2) From March 31 to June 1, in the case of assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, business managers, supervisors, and other administrators. (To correspond with these changes, the amendment also extends from April 30 to June 1 the deadline by which a school district employee must be notified of nonrenewal in order for the employee to qualify for unemployment benefits. The amendment does not affect the date for notice of nonrenewal for superintendents and treasurers, which under continuing law is March 1.) Elsewhere provides that any district employee must be notified by June 1 if the individual is not to be reemployed the following academic year. Extends from June 1 to June 15 the deadline for a teacher or administrator to notify a school district or ESC that the person is declining reemployment, in cases where the person is automatically reemployed due to the district's or ESC's failure to comply with the statutory nonrenewal procedures Bill text (pages 195-212 of 592): http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_SB_316_EN_Y.pdf Final bill analysis: http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/analyses129/s0316-rrh-129.pdf Title: S.B. 316 - Teacher and Administrator (Not Superintendent) Contract Renewal/Non-Renewal Source: www.lsc.state.oh.us GA Signed into law 05/2012 P-12 Replaces reference to "principal" with reference to "administrator" in certain provisions pertaining to actions to terminate or suspend a school employee's contract. Provides that actions to terminate or suspend contracts due to staff reductions incurred by loss of students or cancellation of programs must be due to no fault or performance issue of the teacher, administrator, or other employee, and that written specification of such must be provided to the teacher, administrator, or other employee. Adds provision that if a school system implements a furlough program, a furlough day must be a Monday or Friday or in conjunction with a holiday, unless the local board of education provides otherwise. http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/126990.pdf Title: S.B. 153 Source: www.legis.ga.gov OK Signed into law 04/2011 P-12 Modifies and deletes several substantive elements related to teacher contract definitions and the Teacher Due Process Act of 1990. Deletes career teacher pretermination hearing procedures and requirements and the right to appeal to a district court; deletes requirement to extend suspensions until completion of a such an appeal. (Sections 6-101.26-27) http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2011-12bills/HB/HB1380_ENR.RTF Title: H.B. 1380 Source: http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us WI Signed into law 04/2010 P-12 Act 215. Section 118.24 (10) prohibits awarding of tenure to principals or assistant principals. http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2009/data/acts/09Act215.pdf Title: S.B. 437 Source: http://www.legis.state.wi.us AL Act No. 2007-467 06/2007 P-12 Relates to the employment of probationary and contract principals; provides for the recommendation of the Chief Executive Officer to the Employing Board regarding the employment of probationary principals; requires the chief executive officer to make a written recommendation to the employing board regarding the continued employment of principals; provides that failure of the officer to make such a recommendation does not prejudice the principal. Title: H.B. 669 Source: http://alisdb.legislature.state.al.us MO Signed into law 05/2005 P-12 REPORT CARDS Currently, school districts are required to produce an annual accountability report card for each school building, distribute copies to the households with students, and make copies available to other members of the public upon request. This bill transfers the responsibility for producing the report card to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, specifying that there will be report cards for each district, each public school building in a district, and each charter school. The report card will be designed to satisfy federal and state statistical disclosure requirements about academic achievement, finances, staff, and other indicators. Districts must provide the report card information by December 1, or as soon as it is ready, and give preference to distribution methods that will include the information with other important information, such as student report cards. TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS Currently, the definition of "teacher" for the purposes of tenure includes certified teachers who teach at the pre-kindergarten level. The bill clarifies that these teachers must be teaching in pre-kindergarten programs for which no fees are charged. The superintendent's supervision of the City of St. Louis district schools is subject to policies established by the school board, rather than subject to the control of the board, and the permissible length of the superintendent's contract is raised. Currently, the hiring of a treasurer, a commissioner of school buildings, and a director of personnel is required. The bill makes the hiring of these positions permissive. The requirement that the district's teaching appointments and promotions be based on merit is extended to all employee appointments and promotions. The remaining references to principals are removed from the City of St. Louis tenure statute. SCHOOL DISTRICTS Currently, when a school district participates in the Career Ladder Program, it must match state funds on a sliding scale based on the assessed valuation per eligible pupil. The bill permits any district that opted out of the program between July 1, 2001, and July 1, 2005, to rejoin by July 1, 2006, at the same matching level it qualified for when it last participated in the program. Title: H.B. 297 Source: StateNet IA Signed into law 05/2003 P-12 Allows a temporary contract to be given to an administrator to fill a vacancy created by an administrator's taking of military leave. The contract must automatically terminate when the administrator on military leave returns to resume his position. The holder of the temporary contract is not protected by specified provisions in statute. See Section 32: http://www.legis.state.ia.us/cgi-bin/Legislation/File_only.pl?FILE=/usr/ns-home/docs/GA/80GA/Legislation/HF/00500/HF00549/030508.html Title: H.B. 549 (omnibus bill) Source: www.legis.state.ia.us AL Signed into law 05/2000 P-12 Provides for the Teacher Accountability Act; provides for performance-based contracts for principals; provides for alternative principal certification procedures; provides hearing procedures to challenge employment action taken against a principal; establishes linkage with the Teachers' National Average Salary Bill; relates to the Teacher Tenure Law; provides for the appeal of transfers of teachers; adds failure to perform duties to grounds for termination., Title: H.B. 285 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet