Senate Bill No. 182
(By Senator Plymale and Deem)
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[Introduced January 24, 2000; referred to the Committee
on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section nine, article two, chapter
eighteen-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to employment terms
for principals and assistant principals; and requiring
assistant principals in schools of a certain size.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section nine, article two, chapter eighteen-a of the code
of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, 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 and
shall be employed for a minimum employment term of two hundred
twenty days.
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.
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 recommendation shall be submitted
in writing as prescribed by the superintendent.
The principal shall perform such 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, employ and
assign, through written contract, assistant principals who shall
work under the direction of the school principal: Provided, That
when an elementary, middle or junior high school has a student
population of three hundred or more, an assistant principal shall
be employed for that school. Such assistant principals shall hold
valid administrative certificates appropriate for their assignments
and shall be employed for a minimum employment term of two hundred
ten days.
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 multischool
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 principal shall have 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 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 not deny a county board of education the right to
place a full-time supervising principal in a school with less than
one hundred seventy students or to provide longer employment terms
for principals and assistant principals.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to set a minimum term of 220
days for principals and 210 days for assistant principals, and to
require assistant principals in schools of 300 or more students.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.