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+++ version:(document, no version)
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- - i -
+ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 
-REFERENCE TITLE: school districts; superintendents; benefits; restrictions
+57th
+  Legislature, 2nd Regular Session
 
-State of Arizona
-House of Representatives
-Fifty-seventh Legislature
-Second Regular Session
-2026
+Majority Research Staff
 
-HB 2381
+House: ED DP 7-3-1-1
 
-Introduced by
-Representatives Gress: Gillette
+HB
+2381: school districts; superintendents; benefits; restrictions
 
-AN ACT
+Sponsor:
+Representative Gress, LD 4
 
-AMENDING SECTION 15-503, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES; RELATING TO SCHOOL
-EMPLOYEES.
+Caucus
+& COW
 
-(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
+Overview
 
-HB 2381
+Authorizes
+a school district to offer an employment benefit to a superintendent or an
+associate or assistant superintendent (superintendent) only if the school
+district offers the benefit on substantially equal terms to all school district
+employees.
 
- - 1 -
-Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: 1
-Section 1.  Section 15-503, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to 2
-read: 3
-15-503.  Superintendents, principals, head teachers and school
-4
-psychologists; terms of employment; evaluation; 5
-contract delivery and acceptance; nonretention 6
-notice 7
-A.  The A SCHOOL DISTRICT governing board may: 8
-1.  Employ a superintendent or principal, or both.  If the governing 9
-board employs a superintendent, the governing board shall determine the 10
-qualifications for the superintendent by action taken at a public meeting.  11
-The governing board shall require a superintendent to have a valid 12
-fingerprint clearance card that is issued pursuant to title 41, chapter 13
-12, article 3.1. 14
-2.  Appoint a head teacher. 15
-3.  Jointly with another governing board employ a superintendent or 16
-a principal, or both.  If the governing board jointly employs a 17
-superintendent, the governing boards shall jointly determine the 18
-qualifications for the superintendent by action taken at a public meeting.  19
-The governing boards shall require a superintendent to have a valid 20
-fingerprint clearance card that is issued pursuant to title 41, chapter 21
-12, article 3.1. 22
-B.  The term of employment of superintendents may be for any period 23
-not exceeding three years, except that if the superintendent's contract 24
-with the school district is for multiple years pursuant to this 25
-subsection, the school district shall not offer to extend or renegotiate 26
-the contract until no earlier than fifteen months before the expiration of 27
-the contract EXPIRES.  The term of employment of principals may be for any 28
-period not exceeding three years, except that if the principal's contract 29
-with the school district is for multiple years the school district shall 30
-not offer to extend or negotiate the contract until May of the year 31
-preceding the final year of the contract.  The school district governing 32
-board or the CHARTER SCHOOL governing body of the charter school  shall 33
-communicate the superintendent's or principal's duties with respect to the 34
-classroom site fund established by section 15-977. 35
-C.  The governing board shall establish systems for the evaluation 36
-of the performance of principals and other school administrators and 37
-certificated school psychologists in the school district.  In the 38
-development DEVELOPING and adoption of  ADOPTING these performance 39
-evaluation systems, the governing board shall avail itself of the advice 40
-of its administrators and certificated school psychologists.  Each 41
-evaluation shall include recommendations as to areas of improvement in the 42
-performance of the certificated school psychologist if the performance of 43
-the certificated school psychologist warrants improvement.  After 44
-transmittal of an assessment, a governing board designee shall confer with 45
-HB 2381
+History
 
- - 2 -
-the certificated school psychologist to make specific recommendations as 1
-to areas of improvement in the certificated school psychologist's 2
-performance.  The governing board designee shall provide assistance and 3
-opportunities for the certificated school psychologist to improve 4
-performance and shall follow up with the certificated school psychologist 5
-after a reasonable period of time for the purpose of ascertaining that the 6
-certificated school psychologist is demonstrating adequate 7
-performance.  The evaluation process for certificated school psychologists 8
-shall include appeal procedures for certificated school psychologists who 9
-disagree with the evaluation of their performance, if the evaluation is 10
-for use as criteria for establishing compensation or dismissal. 11
-D.  On or before May 15 each year, the governing board shall offer a 12
-contract for the next school year to each certified administrator and 13
-certificated school psychologist who is in the last year of the person's 14
-contract unless, on or before April 15, the governing board, a member of 15
-the board acting on behalf of the governing board or the superintendent of 16
-the school district gives notice to the administrator or certificated 17
-school psychologist of the governing board's intention not to offer a new 18
-contract.  If the governing board has called for an override election for 19
-the third Tuesday in May as provided in section 15-481, the governing 20
-board shall offer a contract for the next school year to each certified 21
-administrator or certificated school psychologist who is in the last year 22
-of the person's contract on or before June 15 unless, no NOT later than
-23
-five days after the override election excluding Saturday, Sunday and legal 24
-holidays, the governing board, a member of the governing board acting on 25
-behalf of the governing board or the superintendent of the school district 26
-gives notice to the administrator or the certificated school psychologist 27
-of the governing board's intention not to offer a new contract.  The 28
-administrator's or the certificated school psychologist's acceptance of 29
-the contract shall be indicated within thirty days after the date of the 30
-written contract or the offer is revoked.  The administrator or 31
-certificated school psychologist accepts the contract by signing the 32
-contract and returning it to the governing board or by making a written 33
-instrument that accepts the terms of the contract and delivering the 34
-written instrument to the governing board. 35
-E.  Notice of the governing board's intention not to reemploy the 36
-administrator or certificated school psychologist shall be made by 37
-delivering the notice personally to the administrator or the certificated 38
-school psychologist or by sending the notice by certified mail, postmarked 39
-on or before the applicable deadline prescribed in subsection D of this 40
-section, and directed to the administrator or the certificated school 41
-psychologist at the person's place of residence as recorded in the school 42
-district records. 43
-F.  The governing board shall make available the evaluation and 44
-performance classification of each principal in the school district to 45
-HB 2381
+A school district governing board (governing board) may
+employ a superintendent and must determine the qualifications for the
+superintendent in a public meeting. A contract for a superintendent may not
+exceed three years and may not be extended nor renegotiated earlier than 15
+months before the contract expires (A.R.S. � 15-503).
 
- - 3 -
-school districts and charter schools that are inquiring about the 1
-performance of the principal for hiring purposes. 2
-G.  NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW, IF A SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYS A 3
-SUPERINTENDENT, AN ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT OR AN ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT 4
-PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MAY OFFER OR PROVIDE AN 5
-EMPLOYMENT BENEFIT, INCLUDING LIFE INSURANCE, A MOTOR VEHICLE ALLOWANCE, A 6
-CELL PHONE ALLOWANCE AND EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS TO A RETIREMENT PLAN, TO 7
-THE SUPERINTENDENT ONLY IF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFERS OR PROVIDES THE 8
-EMPLOYMENT BENEFIT ON SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TERMS TO ALL EMPLOYEES OF THE 9
-SCHOOL DISTRICT.  IF A SCHOOL DISTRICT ALLOWS A SUPERINTENDENT DESCRIBED 10
-IN THIS SUBSECTION TO RECEIVE A MOTOR VEHICLE ALLOWANCE, THE 11
-SUPERINTENDENT IS INELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRAVEL THAT IS 12
-ATTRIBUTABLE TO MILEAGE AND THE SUPERINTENDENT MAY USE A MOTOR VEHICLE 13
-THAT IS OWNED OR LEASED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ONLY TO TRANSPORT STUDENTS, 14
-EMPLOYEES OR LEARNING MATERIALS TO OR FROM A SCHOOL OR SCHOOL-RELATED 15
-ACTIVITY.  THIS SUBSECTION DOES NOT PREVENT A SUPERINTENDENT DESCRIBED IN 16
-THIS SUBSECTION FROM BEING A PASSENGER IN A MOTOR VEHICLE THAT IS OWNED OR 17
-LEASED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THE PURPOSE OF CARPOOLING.  18
+Provisions
+
+1.
+Stipulates a
+school district may offer or provide an employment benefit to a superintendent
+only if the school district offers or provides the benefit on substantially
+equal terms to all school district employees.
+
+2.
+Specifies an
+employment benefit includes life insurance, a vehicle or cell phone allowance
+and employer contributions to a retirement plan.
+
+3.
+Makes a
+superintendent ineligible to receive reimbursement for travel that is
+attributable to mileage if the school district allows the superintendent to
+receive a vehicle allowance.
+
+4.
+Asserts a
+superintendent may only use a vehicle owned or leased by the school district to
+transport students, employees or learning materials to or from a school or
+school-related activity.
+
+5.
+Specifies a
+superintendent is not prevented from being a passenger in a vehicle owned or
+operated by the school district for the purpose of carpooling.
+
+6.
+Makes
+technical changes.
+
+7.
+
+8.
+
+9.   ---------- DOCUMENT
+FOOTER ---------
+
+10.  Initials CH���������������������� HB
+2381
+
+11.  2/11/2026� Page 0 Caucus
+& COW
+
+12.
+
+13.  ---------- DOCUMENT
+FOOTER ---------