BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

S.B. 1383

By: Shapiro

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Interested parties contend that, while principals are the school leaders who ensure that each campus has a positive learning environment and that teachers continuously improve classroom performance, principals are often forgotten in the cycle of continuous improvement and must be provided better feedback and support.  The parties further contend that, while principals have an impact on the success of teachers and students, the State of Texas has continuously raised expectations for teachers but has not done the same for principals. S.B. 1383 seeks to address these issues and to begin the process for improving and fostering effective school leadership by establishing provisions relating to an appraisal and professional development system for public school principals.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education in SECTION 3 of this bill.

 

ANALYSIS

 

S.B. 1383 amends the Education Code to make provisions relating to the appraisal of certain administrators, as amended by the bill, inapplicable to the appraisal of the performance of a principal.

 

S.B. 1383 requires the commissioner of education by rule to establish and administer a comprehensive appraisal and professional development system for principals. The bill authorizes the commissioner to establish a consortium of nationally recognized experts on educational leadership and policy to assist the commissioner in effectively researching and developing the system and to evaluate relevant research and practices and make recommendations to the commissioner to improve the quality of the training, appraisal, professional development, and compensation of principals.

 

S.B. 1383 requires the commissioner, if the commissioner establishes the consortium, to select a presiding officer of the consortium, who must meet specified qualifications and may not be employed by a school district in Texas.

 

S.B. 1383 requires the commissioner to establish school leadership standards and a set of indicators of successful school leadership to align with the training, appraisal, and professional development of principals. The bill authorizes the commissioner, in carrying out the commissioner's powers and duties under the bill's provisions relating to an appraisal and professional development system for principals, to use only money available from private sources that may be used for that purpose.  The bill requires each school district, in appraising principals, to use either the appraisal system and school leadership standards and indicators developed or established by the commissioner under such provisions, or an appraisal process and performance criteria developed by the district in consultation with the district-level and campus-level committees established under statutory planning and decision-making process provisions and adopted by the board of trustees. The bill requires each school district to appraise each principal annually.

 

S.B. 1383 establishes a temporary provision set to expire January 1, 2015, requiring the commissioner, not later than December 1 of 2012 and 2014, to submit a written report to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and presiding officer of each standing legislative committee with primary jurisdiction over public education of any action taken under the bill's provisions relating to an appraisal and professional development system for principals and any recommendations for legislative action concerning the training, appraisal, professional development, or compensation of principals.

 

S.B. 1383, in provisions relating to staff development requirements, establishes that the bill's provisions relating to an appraisal and professional development system for principals and rules adopted under such provisions govern the professional development provided to a principal.

 

S.B. 1383 requires public school principals to be appraised under statutory provisions relating to the appraisal of certain administrators as such provisions existed before amendment by the bill until an appraisal and professional development system for principals under applicable provisions of the bill is implemented and establishes that the staff development of principals is governed by provisions relating to staff development requirements as such provisions existed before amendment by the bill.

 

S.B. 1383 makes conforming changes and repeals Section 21.354(e), Education Code, to make a conforming change.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.