AN ACT Relating to contracts for school employees; amending RCW 28A.67.073 and 28A.58.137; reenacting and amending RCW 28A.67.070; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.67 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. Section 16, chapter 15, Laws of 1970 ex. sess. as last amended by section 11, chapter 56, Laws of 1983 and by section 1, chapter 83, Laws of 1983 and RCW 28A.67.070 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

No teacher, principal, supervisor, superintendent, or other certificated employee, holding a position as such with a school district, hereinafter referred to as "employee", shall be employed except by written order of a majority of the directors of the district at a regular or special meeting thereof, nor unless he is the holder of an effective teacher's certificate or other certificate required by law or the state board of education for the position for which the employee is employed.

The board shall make with each employee who is not in an administrative position as provided in section 2 of this act employed by it a written contract, which shall be in conformity with the laws of this state, and except as otherwise provided by law, limited to a term of not more than one year. Every such contract shall be made in duplicate, one copy to be retained by the school district superintendent or secretary and one copy to be delivered to the employee. No contract shall be offered by any board for the employment of any employee who has previously signed an employment contract for that same term in another school district of the state of Washington unless such employee shall have been released from his or her obligations under such previous contract by the board of directors of the school district to which he or she was obligated. Any contract signed in violation of this provision shall be void.

In the event it is determined that there is probable cause or causes that the employment contract of an employee should not be renewed by the district for the next ensuing term such employee shall be notified in writing on or before May 15th preceding the commencement of such term of that determination, which notification shall specify the cause or causes for nonrenewal of contract. Such determination of probable cause for certificated employees, other than the superintendent, shall be made by the superintendent. Such notice shall be served upon the employee personally, or by certified or registered mail, or by leaving a copy of the notice at the house of his or her usual abode with some person of suitable age and discretion then resident therein. Every such employee so notified, at his or her request made in writing and filed with the president, chairman or secretary of the board of directors of the district within ten days after receiving such notice, shall be granted opportunity for hearing pursuant to RCW 28A.58.455 to determine whether there is sufficient cause or causes for nonrenewal of contract: PROVIDED, That any employee receiving notice of nonrenewal of contract due to an enrollment decline or loss of revenue may, in his or her request for a hearing, stipulate that initiation of the arrangements for a hearing officer as provided for by RCW 28A.58.455(4) shall occur within ten days following July 15 rather than the day that the employee submits the request for a hearing. If any such notification or opportunity for hearing is not timely given, the employee entitled thereto shall be conclusively presumed to have been reemployed by the district for the next ensuing term upon contractual terms identical with those which would have prevailed if his or her employment had actually been renewed by the board of directors for such ensuing term.

This section shall not be applicable to "provisional employees" as so designated in RCW 28A.67.072; transfer to a subordinate certificated position as that procedure is set forth in RCW 28A.67.073 shall not be construed as a nonrenewal of contract for the purposes of this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.67 RCW to read as follows:

The board shall make with each employee employed by it in an administrative position under RCW 28A.67.073, including principals, assistant principals, and assistant superintendents, a written contract, which shall be in conformity with the laws of this state, and except as otherwise provided by law, limited to a term of not more than three years which shall be renewable annually. The right to renew such contract shall rest solely with the discretion of the school board employing such employee in an administrative position. Regarding the renewal of employees' contracts under this section, the provisions of RCW 28A.67.070, 28A.67.074, and 28A.88.010 shall be inapplicable.

Sec. 3. Section 9, chapter 114, Laws of 1975-'76 2nd ex. sess. and RCW 28A.67.073 are each amended to read as follows:

Any certificated employee of a school district employed as an assistant superintendent, director, principal, assistant principal, coordinator, or in any other supervisory or administrative position, hereinafter in this section referred to as "administrator", shall be subject to transfer, at the expiration of the term of his or her employment contract, to any subordinate certificated position within the school district. "Subordinate certificated position" as used in this section, shall mean any administrative or nonadministrative certificated position for which the annual compensation is less than the position currently held by the administrator.

Every superintendent determining that the best interests of the school district would be served by transferring any administrator to a subordinate certificated position shall notify that administrator in writing on or before May 15th preceding the commencement of such school term of that determination, which notification shall state the reason or reasons for the transfer, and shall identify the subordinate certificated position to which the administrator will be transferred. Such notice shall be served upon the administrator personally, or by certified or registered mail, or by leaving a copy of the notice at the place of his or her usual abode with some person of suitable age and discretion then resident therein.

Every such administrator so notified, at his or her request made in writing and filed with the president or chairman, or secretary of the board of directors of the district within ten days after receiving such notice, shall be given the opportunity to meet informally with the board of directors in an executive session thereof for the purpose of requesting the board to reconsider the decision of the superintendent. Such board, upon receipt of such request, shall schedule the meeting for no later than the next regularly scheduled meeting of the board, and shall notify the administrator in writing of the date, time and place of the meeting at least three days prior thereto. At such meeting the administrator shall be given the opportunity to refute any facts upon which the determination was based and to make any argument in support of his or her request for reconsideration. The administrator and the board may invite their respective legal counsel to be present and to participate at the meeting. The board shall notify the administrator in writing of its final decision within ten days following its meeting with the administrator. No appeal to the courts shall lie from the final decision of the board of directors to transfer an administrator to a subordinate certificated position((: PROVIDED, That in the case of principals such transfer shall be made at the expiration of the contract year and only during the first three consecutive school years of employment as a principal by a school district; except that if any such principal has been previously employed as a principal by another school district in the state of Washington for three or more consecutive school years the provisions of this section shall apply only to the first full school year of such employment)).

This section applies to any person employed as an administrator by a school district on June 25, 1976 and to all persons so employed at any time thereafter. This section provides the exclusive means for transferring an administrator to a subordinate certificated position at the expiration of the term of his or her employment contract.

Sec. 4. Section 10, chapter 15, Laws of 1975-'76 2nd ex. sess. as last amended by section 94, chapter 7, Laws of 1985 and RCW 28A.58.137 are each amended to read as follows:

In all districts the board of directors shall elect a superintendent who shall have such qualification as the local school board alone shall determine. The superintendent shall have supervision over the several departments of the schools thereof and carry out such other powers and duties as prescribed by law. Notwithstanding the provisions of RCW 28A.58.099(1), the board may contract with such superintendent for a term not to exceed three years and shall be renewed annually when deemed in the best interest of the district. The right to renew a contract of employment with any school superintendent shall rest solely with the discretion of the school board employing such school superintendent. Regarding such renewal of contracts of school superintendents the provisions of RCW 28A.67.070, 28A.67.074 and 28A.88.010 shall be inapplicable.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.