Senate Bill No. 89
(By Senator Dempsey)
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[Introduced January 11, 2006; referred to the Committee
on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §18A-2-9 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to hiring of assistant principals;
and minimum employment terms for principals, assistant
principals and secretaries.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18A-2-9 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. SCHOOL PERSONNEL.
§18A-2-9. Duties and responsibilities of school principals;
assistant principals.
Upon the recommendation of the county superintendent of
schools, the county board of education shall employ and assign,
through written contract, public school principals who shall
supervise the management and the operation of the school or schools
to which they are assigned. Such Principals shall hold valid administrative certificates appropriate for their assignments.
Beginning on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred
ninety-four, the prerequisites for issuance of an administrative
certificate for principals shall include that the person has
successfully completed at least six credit hours of approved course
work in public school management techniques at an accredited
institution of higher education and has successfully completed
education and training in evaluation skills through the center for
professional development, or equivalent education and training in
evaluation skills approved by the state board.
Under the supervision of the superintendent and in accordance
with the rules and regulations of the county board of education,
the principal shall assume administrative and instructional
supervisory responsibility for the planning, management, operation
and evaluation of the total educational program of the school or
schools to which he or she is assigned.
Beginning on July 1, 2006, and thereafter, each county shall
establish a minimum employment term for principals consisting of
two hundred twenty days and a minimum employment term for assistant
principals of two hundred fifteen days.
As a minimum, each county shall employ one secretary in each
school who has the same employment term as the principal for whom
he or she works.
The principal may submit recommendations to the superintendent regarding the appointment, assignment, promotion, transfer and
dismissal of all personnel assigned to the school or schools under
said principal's control. Such A recommendation shall be submitted
in writing as prescribed by the superintendent.
The principal shall perform such any other duties as may be
assigned by the superintendent pursuant to the rules and
regulations of the county board of education.
Upon recommendation of the county superintendent of schools,
the county board of education shall, when needed a school
enrollment equals or exceeds three hundred students, employ and
assign, through written contract, assistant principals who shall
work under the direction of the school principal. Such Assistant
principals shall hold valid administrative certificates appropriate
for their assignments.
On or before the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred
eighty-nine and continuing thereafter, each county board of
education shall assign a certificated principal to each school and
no principal may be assigned more than two schools: Provided, That
where enrollment exceeds four hundred students there will be no
additional schools assigned to that principal.
No principal assigned to more than one school may be assigned
any teaching duties except on a temporary emergency basis. No
county shall have more teaching principalships or multi-school
principalships than was present on the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred eighty-eight.
On or before the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred
ninety-three and continuing thereafter, each county board of
education shall employ a full-time supervising principal at each
school whose net enrollment equals or exceeds one hundred seventy
students. A principal assigned to a school with a net enrollment
equal to or greater than one hundred seventy students may not be
assigned any teaching duties except on a temporary emergency basis.
When a principal is assigned on a full-time basis to a school whose
net enrollment is more than seventy-five students but less than one
hundred seventy students, such the principal shall have has a
minimum of twenty hours per week for nonteaching duties. A
principal assigned on a full-time basis to a school with
seventy-five students or less shall have has a minimum of ten hours
per week for nonteaching duties: Provided, That nothing in this
section prohibits a county board of education from assigning a
full-time supervising principal to a school with a net enrollment
of less than one hundred seventy students.
Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to reduce
or limit the rights and privileges of principals and assistant
principals as teachers under the provisions of section one, article
one, chapter eighteen of the Code of West Virginia as amended;
section one, article one, chapter eighteen-a; and other provisions
of this code: Provided, That on or before the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-three, the State Board of
Education shall may not deny a county board of education the right
to place a principal in a school with less than one hundred seventy
students.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is related to hiring assistant
principals and the minimum employment terms for principals,
assistant principals and secretaries. It also requires employment
of assistant principals for school enrollments over 300.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.