                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

PROBATIONARY TERMS OF SERVICE FOR PRINCIPALS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, AND
SUPERVISORS; EVALUATION; REASSIGNING PRINCIPAL, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, OR
SUPERVISOR TO TEACHING POSITION (§ 22.1-294)

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
&#xA7; 22.1-253.13:5 and that includes, among other things, an assessment of
such administrators&#8217; 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 &#xA7; 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&#8217;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&#8217;s designee, or the school
board. The school board, division superintendent, or the division
superintendent&#8217;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
&#xA7; 22.1-307, for the salary reduction and reassignment of a principal,
assistant principal, or supervisor.

E. As used in this section, &#8220;supervisor&#8221; 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.

HISTORY: 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.