Bill Text: MS HB874 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Appointed superintendents; require school boards to recruit those who served in "A" or "B" districts to serve as.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Failed) 2017-01-31 - Died In Committee [HB874 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2017-HB874-Introduced.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Education
By: Representative Moore
House Bill 874
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-9-13 AND 37-9-25, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH RELATE TO THE SELECTION AND EMPLOYMENT OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS TO REQUIRE SCHOOL BOARDS TO ONLY APPOINT AND CONTRACT WITH INDIVIDUALS FOR THE OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT WHO HAVE SERVED IN AN "A" OR "B" RATED DISTRICT OR EQUALLY COMPARABLE ACCREDITED OUT OF STATE DISTRICT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 37-9-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-9-13. (1) Each school district shall have a superintendent of schools, selected in the manner provided by law. No person shall be eligible to the office of superintendent of schools unless such person shall hold a valid administrator's license issued by the State Department of Education and shall have had not less than four (4) years of classroom or administrative experience.
(2) From and after January 1, 2019, in all public school districts, the local school board shall appoint the superintendent of schools of such district. At the expiration of the term of any county superintendent of education elected at the November 2015 general election, the county superintendent of education of said county shall not be elected but shall thereafter be appointed by the local school board in the manner provided in Section 37-9-25. The superintendent of schools shall have the general powers and duties to administer the schools within his district as prescribed in Section 37-9-14 et seq., Mississippi Code of 1972. If a vacancy occurs in the office of superintendent, which is now elective, before January 1, 2019, that office shall immediately become an appointive position.
(3) In selecting an individual to appoint to the office of superintendent of schools of a school district, the school board shall only recruit, consider and make the appointment of individuals meeting the requirements of subsection (1) of this section who have worked in a school district having an "A" or "B" accountability rating as determined by the system of accreditation established by the State Department of Education. If the local board recruits and considers an individual who resides outside of the state of Mississippi for the office of superintendent, that individual must have worked in a school district within the state of recruitment that has the two (2) highest levels of accreditation which are equally comparable to the accountability ratings used by the department for accreditation purposes.
SECTION 2. Section 37-9-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-9-25. The school board shall have the power and authority, in its discretion, to employ the superintendent, unless such superintendent is elected at the November 2015 general election, for not exceeding four (4) scholastic years and the principals or licensed employees for not exceeding three (3) scholastic years. However in the employment of the superintendent, the school board shall only recruit, consider and make the appointment of individuals meeting the requirements of subsection (1) of this section who have worked in a school district having an "A" or "B" accountability rating as determined by the system of accreditation established by the State Department of Education, or from an equally comparable accredited district from another state. In such case, contracts shall be entered into with such superintendents, principals and licensed employees for the number of years for which they have been employed. All such contracts with licensed employees shall for the years after the first year thereof be subject to the contingency that the licensed employee may be released if, during the life of the contract, the average daily attendance should decrease from that existing during the previous year and thus necessitate a reduction in the number of licensed employees during any year after the first year of the contract. However, in all such cases the licensed employee must be released before July 1 or at least thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the school term, whichever date should occur earlier. The salary to be paid for the years after the first year of such contract shall be subject to revision, either upward or downward, in the event of an increase or decrease in the funds available for the payment thereof, but, unless such salary is revised prior to the beginning of a school year, it shall remain for such school year at the amount fixed in such contract. However, where school district funds, other than minimum education program funds, are available during the school year in excess of the amount anticipated at the beginning of the school year the salary to be paid for such year may be increased to the extent that such additional funds are available and nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit same.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2017.
