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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, First Regular Session
schools; performance evaluations.
Purpose
An emergency measure that exempts a charter school governing body (charter governing body) and school district governing board (school district board) from conducting teacher and principal performance evaluations in the 2020-2021 school year.
Background
Charter school and school district teachers are subject to an evaluation each school year according to a teacher performance evaluation system established by a charter governing body or district board. The evaluation system must focus on improving teacher performance and student achievement, include quantitative data on the academic progress for all students and include designated performance classifications (A.R.S. 15-189.06 and 15-537).
School district teacher evaluation policies must outline performance improvement plans and dismissal or nonrenewal procedures for teachers who are designated in the lowest performance classification. These policies include issuing a preliminary notice of inadequacy of classroom performance before the second consecutive year that a teacher is designated in either of the two lowest performance classifications, with exceptions (A.R.S. 15-537).
Policies for principal evaluations are adopted in a public meeting by each charter governing body and school district board with public discussion. The adopted principal evaluation policies must focus on improving principal performance and student achievement, include quantitative data on the academic progress for all students, include performance classifications and describe the methods used to evaluate principal performance and the formula to determine evaluation outcomes (A.R.S. 15-189.06 and 15-341).
The Classroom Site Fund (CSF) provides funding to public schools from K-12 endowment earnings and Proposition 301. Each school district or charter school distributes the CSF as follows: 1) 40 percent for teacher compensation increases based on performance and employment-related expenses; 2) 20 percent for teacher base salary increases and employment-related expenses; and 3) 40 percent for maintenance and operation purposes. Statute requires a school district board to adopt a performance-based compensation system to allocate funds from the CSF. Individual teacher performance is a required component of the school district’s portion of the 40 percent allocation for teacher compensation based on performance and employment-related expenses (A.R.S. § 15-977).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Allows a charter governing body to not conduct teacher performance evaluations in the 2020-2021 school year.
2. Allows a school district board to not conduct principal or certificated teacher performance evaluations in the 2020-2021 school year.
3. Prohibits the absence of an evaluation in the 2020-2021 school year from being used to enforce dismissal or nonrenewal procedures against a teacher designated in the lowest performance classification in the 2019-2020 school year.
4. Deems a teacher is eligible to receive performance pay from the CSF without a regular evaluation for effectiveness in the 2020-2021 school year.
5. Repeals the outlined exemptions on January 1, 2023.
6. Becomes effective on signature of the Governor, retroactive to July 1, 2020, if the emergency clause is enacted.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 20, 2021
JO/gs