BILL REQ. #:  S-1034.1 

Read first time 02/03/11.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.

     AN ACT Relating to recruiting, preparing, and empowering school officials and holding them accountable; amending RCW 28A.400.100; adding new sections to chapter 28A.410 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that a growing body of research indicates that successful school leadership plays a highly significant role in improving student learning. School leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn in school. The role of the school leader has progressively shifted from building manager to instructional leader. Effective school leaders create vision, develop and support teachers and school staff, and strengthen school culture. Leadership also involves direction-setting, management of personnel and resources, and redesigning the organization when necessary. Principals should be held accountable for these leadership qualities.
     (2) Therefore, the legislature intends to encourage highly capable individuals with qualities of leadership to become principals through field-based, rigorous, but flexible preparation programs offered in close collaboration with school districts. The legislature also intends to encourage school districts to provide principals with increased decision-making authority, including over personnel decisions and allocation of financial resources. Finally, the legislature intends to hold principals accountable to demonstrate the qualities essential to lead a school.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The professional educator standards board shall establish a residency provisional principal certification as provided under this section and sections 3 through 6 of this act.
     (2) Applicants for residency provisional principal certification must:
     (a) Document professional managerial and leadership experience that meets the standards established by the professional educator standards board under this section;
     (b) Complete a record check as required under RCW 28A.410.010;
     (c) Have been admitted to an alternative route principal certification program approved under section 6 of this act; and
     (d) Be recommended for certification by a school district superintendent as provided under section 3 of this act.
     (3)(a) The professional educator standards board shall adopt standards that define a scope and level of professional managerial and leadership experience for residency provisional principal certification that include at a minimum:
     (i) Strategic planning;
     (ii) Supervision and evaluation of personnel;
     (iii) Budgeting and allocation of resources; and
     (iv) Employee professional development.
     (b) The standards must also include a consistent record of satisfactory performance in previous employment.
     (c) The managerial and leadership experience for residency provisional principal certification is not required to have occurred in a school setting.      
     (4) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall review the qualifications of applicants and recommendations for certification submitted by school district superintendents. If the office determines that the requirements of this section have been met, the office shall issue a residency provisional principal certificate.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   (1) School district superintendents may recommend candidates for residency provisional principal certification.
     (2) Before recommending a candidate for certification, a school district superintendent must:
     (a) Conduct a publicly announced search for the principalship of a specific school and accept applications from individuals who are seeking residency provisional principal certificates and from individuals who hold continuing, residency, or professional principal certificates issued by the professional educator standards board;
     (b) Verify that the candidate meets the standards adopted by the professional educator standards board under section 2 of this act; and
     (c) Offer the candidate the principalship of the school, contingent on the candidate receiving residency provisional principal certification.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   (1) The holder of a residency provisional principal certificate must be enrolled in an alternative route principal certification program approved under section 6 of this act.
     (2) The holder of a residency provisional principal certificate may serve as a school principal only in one school district for not more than three years.
     (3) Residency provisional principal certificates expire:
     (a) After three years; or
     (b) If the holder's employment with the school district is terminated.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall issue a residency principal certificate to a holder of a residency provisional principal certificate if the certificate holder has successfully completed an alternative route principal certification program approved under section 6 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   (1) The professional educator standards board shall adopt standards for approval of alternative route principal certification programs, which may be offered by higher education institutions or nonhigher education program providers.
     (2) To receive approval to offer an alternative route principal certification program, a program provider must:
     (a) Operate the program in partnership with one or more participating school districts;
     (b) Design, develop, and use a principal development plan for each candidate. The plan must specify the coursework and training required of each candidate and must be developed by comparing the candidate's prior experience and coursework with the performance standards for residency principal certification. The alternative route program may give significant weight to a candidate's prior experience;
     (c) Require candidates to demonstrate competencies in the knowledge and skills required for residency principal certification as adopted by the professional educator standards board;
     (d) Provide intensive mentoring of a minimum of one-half of a school year for candidates, and an additional significant amount of time if necessary, progressing to increasingly less intensive monitoring and assistance as the candidate demonstrates the skills necessary to manage and lead a school; and
     (e) Demonstrate a record of success in principal preparation and certification. If the program provider has not previously offered a principal preparation program, the provider may submit a record of success in preparation and certification of other educators and evidence of appropriate knowledge and experience of the faculty and instructors in the proposed principal certification program.
     (3) The professional educator standards board may approve an alternative route principal certification program under this section for up to five years.

Sec. 7   RCW 28A.400.100 and 2002 c 78 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) School districts may employ public school principals and/or vice principals to supervise the operation and management of the school to which they are assigned. Such persons shall hold valid administrative certificates and, except for persons certificated under sections 4 and 5 of this act, shall hold or have held either valid teacher certificates or valid educational staff associate certificates. Persons who hold or have held valid educational staff associate certificates must also have demonstrated successful school-based experience in an instructional role with students. Persons whose certificates were revoked, suspended, or surrendered may not be employed as public school principals or vice principals.
     (2) In addition to such other duties as shall be prescribed by law and by the job description adopted by the board of directors, each principal shall:
     (((1))) (a) Assume administrative authority, responsibility and instructional leadership, under the supervision of the school district superintendent, and in accordance with the policies of the school district board of directors, for the planning, management, supervision and evaluation of the educational program of the attendance area for which he or she is responsible((.));
     (((2))) (b) Submit recommendations to the school district superintendent regarding appointment, assignment, promotion, transfer and dismissal of all personnel assigned to the attendance area for which he or she is responsible((.));
     (((3))) (c) Submit recommendations to the school district superintendent regarding the fiscal needs to maintain and improve the instructional program of the attendance area for which he or she is responsible((.)); and
     (((4))) (d) Assume administrative authority and responsibility for the supervision, counseling and discipline of pupils in the attendance area for which he or she is responsible.
     (3) In return for the increased accountability for performance expected under RCW 28A.405.245, school district directors and superintendents are encouraged to provide principals with increased autonomy and authority to manage and lead the schools to which they are assigned including, but not limited to, decision-making authority regarding personnel and budgets.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 8   Sections 2 through 6 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.410 RCW.