HB2551 - 472R - House Bill Summary

House of Representatives

HB 2551

school councils; performance; training

Sponsor: Representative Anderson

dpa	Committee on K-12 Education
x	Caucus and COW
	As Engrossed and As Passed the House

HB 2551 requires annual performance assessments of school principals by school councils on a form developed by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). Additionally, the ADE must develop and implement a program to provide annual training to members of school councils.

History

A.R.S. Section 15-351 requires each school to establish a school council to ensure that individuals who are affected by the outcome of a decision at the school share in the decision making process. A school district governing board may delegate to a school council the responsibility to develop a curriculum and any additional powers that are reasonably necessary to accomplish decentralization. The school district governing board is responsible for determining the initial number of school council members and thereafter the school council determines the number of members. Each school council consists of parents or guardians of pupils enrolled in the school who are not employed by the school district, teachers, noncertified employees, community members, the principal of the school and pupils, if the school is a high school. There must be an equal number of teachers and parents or guardians of pupils enrolled at the school serving as school council members and these members must constitute a majority of the school council members. The principal of the school serves as chairman of the school council unless another person is elected by a majority of the school council members.

Provisions

· Requires school councils to:

· Annually assess the performance of school principals on a form developed by the ADE.

· Transmit the performance assessment to the superintendent of the school district.

· Post the performance assessment in a public area of the school and on the school’s web site.

· Requires the ADE to develop and implement a program to provide annual training to members of school councils in locations throughout Arizona.

Amendments

Committee on K-12 Education:

· Requires the school council to appoint a subcommittee to conduct the assessment of the school administration instead of the school principal.

· Prohibits school administrators from serving on the subcommittee.

· Replaces the requirement that the assessments be posted in a public area of the school and on the school’s web site with the requirement that the assessment be made available to the public upon request.

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Forty-seventh Legislature