Virginia § 22.1-294 - Probationary terms of service for principals, assistant principals, and supervisors; evaluation; reassigning principal, assistant principal, or supervisor to teaching position

§ 22.1-294. Probationary terms of service for principals, assistant principals, and supervisors; evaluation; reassigning principal, assistant principal, or supervisor to teaching position

A. A person employed as a principal, assistant principal, or supervisor, including a person who has previously achieved continuing contract status as a teacher, shall serve a probationary term of three years in such position in the same school division before acquiring continuing contract status as principal, assistant principal, or supervisor. With such funds as may be appropriated by the General Assembly for such purpose, school boards shall provide each probationary principal, except probationary principals who have prior successful experience as principals, as determined by the local school board in a school division, a mentor, as described in guidelines developed by the Board, during the first year of the probationary period, to assist such probationary principal in achieving excellence in administration.

B. Each local school board shall adopt for use by the division superintendent clearly defined criteria for a performance evaluation process for principals, assistant principals, and supervisors that are consistent with the performance standards set forth in the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents as provided in § 22.1-253.13:5 and that includes, among other things, an assessment of such administrators' skills and knowledge; student academic progress and school gains in student learning; and effectiveness in addressing school safety and enforcing student discipline. The division superintendent shall implement such performance evaluation process in making employment recommendations to the school board pursuant to § 22.1-293. Principals and assistant principals who have achieved continuing contract status shall be formally evaluated at least once every three years and evaluated informally at least once each year that they are not formally evaluated. Probationary principals and assistant principals shall be evaluated each school year. The division superintendent shall consider such evaluations, among other things, in making recommendations to the school board regarding the nonrenewal of the probationary contract of any principal or assistant principal.

C. Continuing contract status acquired by a principal, assistant principal, or supervisor shall not be construed (i) as prohibiting a school board from reassigning such principal, assistant principal, or supervisor to a teaching position if notice of reassignment is given by the school board by June 15 of any year or (ii) as entitling any such principal, assistant principal, or supervisor to the salary paid him as principal, assistant principal, or supervisor in the case of any such reassignment to a teaching position.

D. No such salary reduction and reassignment, however, shall be made without first providing such principal, assistant principal, or supervisor with written notice of the reason for such reduction and reassignment and an opportunity to present his or her position at an informal meeting with the division superintendent, the division superintendent's designee, or the school board. Before recommending such reassignment, the division superintendent shall consider, among other things, the performance evaluations for such principal, assistant principal, or supervisor. The principal, assistant principal, or supervisor shall elect whether such meeting shall be with the division superintendent, the division superintendent's designee, or the school board. The school board, division superintendent, or the division superintendent's designee shall determine what processes are to be followed at the meeting. The decision to reassign and reduce salary shall be at the sole discretion of the school board.

The intent of this section is to provide an opportunity for a principal, assistant principal, or supervisor to discuss the reasons for such salary reduction and reassignment with the division superintendent, his designee, or the school board, and the provisions of this section are meant to be procedural only. Nothing contained herein shall be taken to require cause, as defined in § 22.1-307, for the salary reduction and reassignment of a principal, assistant principal, or supervisor.

E. As used in this section, "supervisor" means a person who holds an instructional supervisory position as specified in the regulations of the Board of Education and who is required to hold a license as prescribed by the Board of Education.

Code 1950, § 22-217.3; 1968, c. 691; 1969, Ex. Sess., c. 3; 1976, cc. 191, 226; 1979, c. 275; 1980, c. 559; 1982, c. 47; 1992, c. 132; 1999, cc. 1030, 1037; 2005, cc. 331, 450; 2013, cc. 44, 109, 588, 650.