Read the full stored bill text
HB2385 - 572R - H Ver
House Engrossed
school districts;
superintendent; employment contracts
State of Arizona
House of Representatives
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
HOUSE BILL 2385
AN
ACT
amending section 15-503, Arizona
Revised Statutes; relating to school employees.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 15-503, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
15-503.
Superintendents, principals, head teachers and school
psychologists; terms of employment; evaluation; contract delivery and
acceptance; nonretention notice
A.
The
A school
district
governing board may:
1. Employ a superintendent or principal, or both.�
If the governing board employs a superintendent, the governing board shall
determine the qualifications for the superintendent by action taken at a public
meeting.� The governing board shall require a superintendent to have a valid
fingerprint clearance card that is issued pursuant to title 41, chapter 12,
article 3.1.
2. Appoint a head teacher.
3. Jointly with another governing board employ a
superintendent or a principal, or both. If the governing board
jointly employs a superintendent, the governing boards shall jointly determine
the qualifications for the superintendent by action taken at a public meeting.�
The governing boards shall require a superintendent to have a valid fingerprint
clearance card that is issued pursuant to title 41, chapter 12, article 3.1.
B. The term of employment of superintendents may be
for any period not exceeding
:
1. One year If the superintendent has
not been employed by the school district as a superintendent for at least three
consecutive years.
2.
Three years
,
except that
only if the superintendent has been employed
by the school district as a superintendent for at least three consecutive
years.
If the superintendent's contract with the school
district is for multiple years pursuant to this
subsection
paragraph,
the school district shall not offer to extend
or renegotiate the contract
until no
earlier
than fifteen months before
the expiration of
the contract
expires
.�
C.
The term of employment of
principals may be for any period not exceeding three years, except that if the
principal's contract with the school district is for multiple years the school
district shall not offer to extend or negotiate the contract until May of the
year preceding the final year of the contract.�
D.
The school district
governing board or the
charter school
governing body
of the charter school
shall communicate the superintendent's or
principal's duties with respect to the classroom site fund established by
section 15-977.
C.
E.
The
governing board shall establish systems for the evaluation of the performance
of principals and other school administrators and certificated school
psychologists in the school district. In
the
development
developing
and
adoption
of
adopting
these performance evaluation systems,
the governing board shall avail itself of the advice of its administrators and
certificated school psychologists.� Each evaluation shall include
recommendations as to areas of improvement in the performance of the certificated
school psychologist if the performance of the certificated school psychologist
warrants improvement.� After transmittal of an assessment, a governing board
designee shall confer with the certificated school psychologist to make
specific recommendations as to areas of improvement in the certificated school
psychologist's performance. The governing board designee shall
provide assistance and opportunities for the certificated school psychologist
to improve performance and shall follow up with the certificated school
psychologist after a reasonable period of time for the purpose of ascertaining
that the certificated school psychologist is demonstrating adequate
performance. The evaluation process for certificated school psychologists
shall include appeal procedures for certificated school psychologists who
disagree with the evaluation of their performance, if the evaluation is for use
as criteria for establishing compensation or dismissal.
D.
F.
On
or before May 15 each year, the governing board shall offer a contract for the
next school year to each certified administrator and certificated school
psychologist who is in the last year of the person's contract unless, on or
before April 15, the governing board, a member of the board acting on behalf of
the governing board or the superintendent of the school district gives notice
to the administrator or certificated school psychologist of the governing
board's intention not to offer a new contract.� If the governing board has
called for an override election for the third Tuesday in May as provided in
section 15-481, the governing board shall offer a contract for the next
school year to each certified administrator or certificated school psychologist
who is in the last year of the person's contract on or before June 15 unless,
no
not
later than five days after the
override election excluding Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays, the governing
board, a member of the governing board acting on behalf of the governing board
or the superintendent of the school district gives notice to the administrator
or the certificated school psychologist of the governing board's intention not
to offer a new contract. The administrator's or the certificated
school psychologist's acceptance of the contract shall be indicated within
thirty days after the date of the written contract or the offer is
revoked. The administrator or certificated school psychologist
accepts the contract by signing the contract and returning it to the governing
board or by making a written instrument that accepts the terms of the contract
and delivering the written instrument to the governing board.
E.
G.
Notice
of the governing board's intention not to reemploy the administrator or
certificated school psychologist shall be made by delivering the notice
personally to the administrator or the certificated school psychologist or by
sending the notice by certified mail, postmarked on or before the applicable
deadline prescribed in subsection
D
F
of this section, and directed to the administrator or the certificated
school psychologist at the person's place of residence as recorded in the
school district records.
F.
H.
The
governing board shall make available the evaluation and performance
classification of each principal in the school district to school districts and
charter schools that are inquiring about the performance of the principal for
hiring purposes.
END_STATUTE
Sec. 2.
Existing contracts; applicability
Section 15-503, Arizona Revised
Statutes, as amended by this act, applies to contracts that are executed or
renewed after the effective date of this act.