Tennessee § 49-5-503 - Tenure.

§ 49-5-503. Tenure.

Any teacher who meets all of the following requirements is eligible for “tenure”: Has a degree from an approved four-year college or any career and technical teacher who has the equivalent amount of training established and licensed by the state board of education; Holds a valid teacher license, issued by the state board of education, based on training covering the subjects or grades taught; Has completed a probationary period of five (5) school years or not less than forty-five (45) months within the last seven-year period, the last two (2) years being employed in a regular teaching position rather than an interim teaching position; Has received evaluations demonstrating an overall performance effectiveness level of “above expectations” or “significantly above expectations” as provided in the evaluation guidelines adopted by the state board of education pursuant to § 49-1-302, during the last two (2) years of the probationary period; provided, however, that a teacher who has met all other requirements for tenure eligibility but has not acquired an official evaluation score during the last one (1) or two (2) years of the probationary period due to an approved extended leave; transfer to another school or position within the school district; or invalidated data due to a successful local level evaluation grievance pursuant to § 49-1-302(d)(2)(A) may utilize the most recent two (2) years of available evaluation scores achieved during the probationary period to meet the provisions of this subdivision (4); and Is reemployed by the director of schools for service after the probationary period. Acts 1951, ch. 76, § 3 (Williams, § 2345.3); modified; Acts 1971, ch. 22, §§ 1, 2; 1977, ch. 33, § 1; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 49-1402; Acts 1987, ch. 308, § 25; 2011, ch. 70, § 7; 2015, ch. 158, § 6. Code Commission Notes. Former subdivision (1), concerning limited tenure, was deleted as obsolete by the code commission in 2009. Compiler's Notes. Acts 2015, ch. 158, § 1 provided that the act, which amended this section, shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee Teaching Evaluation Enhancement Act.” Cross-References. Definition of tenure, § 49-5-501 . Law Reviews. Tennessee's National Impact On Teacher Evaluation Law & Policy: An Assessment Of Value-Added Model Litigation, 13 Tenn. J. L. & Pol'y 523 (Winter 2019). Attorney General Opinions. A school board's re-election of a teacher for a fourth year of employment does not result in the granting of tenure in the absence of the director of schools' recommendation that tenure be granted and notification by the director of schools that the board's renewal of contract, without more, will result in a grant of tenure, OAG 01-013, 2001 Tenn. AG LEXIS 13 (1/30/01). The Tennessee teacher-employment statutes governing permanent employment, layoffs, and dismissal or suspension of teachers do not violate a student's constitutional right to a free education. OAG 14-99, 2014 Tenn. AG LEXIS 102 (10/30/14).