HOUSE BILL No. 6234

 

June 10, 2008, Introduced by Reps. Spade, Polidori, Kathleen Law, Alma Smith, Gonzales, Griffin, Hopgood and Leland and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

     A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled

 

"The revised school code,"

 

by amending sections 1246 and 1536 (MCL 380.1246 and 380.1536),

 

section 1246 as amended by 2004 PA 148 and section 1536 as added by

 

2006 PA 335.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1246. (1) A Except as provided in subsection (2) and

 

section 1536, a school district, public school academy, or

 

intermediate school district shall not employ or continue to employ

 

a person as a superintendent, principal, assistant principal, or

 

other person whose primary responsibility is administering

 

instructional programs or as a chief business official unless the

 

person has completed the continuing education requirements

 

prescribed by rule under subsection (2) possesses a valid Michigan

 


school administrator's certificate issued under section 1536.

 

     (2) The superintendent of public instruction shall promulgate

 

rules establishing continuing education requirements as a condition

 

for continued employment for persons employed in positions

 

described in subsection (1). The rules shall prescribe a minimum

 

amount of continuing education that shall be completed within 5

 

years after initial employment and shall be completed each

 

subsequent 5-year period to meet the requirements of subsection (1)

 

for continued employment. A school district, public school academy,

 

or intermediate school district may employ as a superintendent,

 

principal, assistant principal, or other person whose primary

 

responsibility is administering instructional programs or as a

 

chief business official a person who is enrolled in a program

 

leading to certification as a school administrator not later than 6

 

months after the effective date of the amendatory act that added

 

this sentence. A person employed as a school administrator pursuant

 

to this subsection has 5 years to meet the certification

 

requirements of section 1536, or the school district, public school

 

academy, or intermediate school district shall not continue to

 

employ the person as a school administrator.

 

     Sec. 1536. (1) The state board shall develop a school

 

administrator's certificate that may shall be issued to all school

 

district and intermediate school district superintendents, school

 

principals, assistant principals, and other administrators whose

 

primary responsibility is administering instructional programs and

 

who meet the requirements established under subsection (3), and to

 

school district and intermediate school district chief business

 


officials who meet the requirements established under subsection

 

(3). An individual is not required by this section to have a school

 

administrator's certificate under this section or an endorsement

 

under subsection (2) to be employed as a school administrator by a

 

school district, public school academy, intermediate school

 

district, or nonpublic school.

 

     (2) The state board also may shall develop appropriate

 

certificate endorsements for school administrators, by elementary,

 

secondary, and central office level.

 

     (3) The state board shall develop standards and procedures to

 

implement this section. The standards and procedures shall address

 

at least all of the following:

 

     (a) The educational and professional experience requirements

 

for a certificate or endorsement under this section.

 

     (b) Continuing education requirements for periodic

 

recertification. These requirements shall be consistent with the

 

continuing education requirements under section 1246.

 

     (c) Procedures for application for and issuance of

 

certificates and endorsements under this section.

 

     (d) Standards and procedures for suspension and revocation of

 

a certificate. These standards and procedures shall be based on the

 

standards and procedures for taking action against a person's

 

teaching certificate under section 1535a.

 

     (4) The department shall consult and work with appropriate

 

professional organizations, primarily organizations representing

 

superintendents and building-level administrators, in developing

 

the standards required under this section.

 


     (5) For the purposes of adding 1 or more enhancement or

 

specialty endorsements for a school administrator's certificate,

 

the department may recognize performance-based professional

 

learning programs offered by established state professional

 

organizations that represent school administrators described in

 

subsection (1). These programs must be approved by the department

 

based on alignment with state board-approved school administrator

 

program preparation standards.

 

     (6) As used in this section, "established state professional

 

organization" means an association that has served members on a

 

statewide basis for at least 10 years.

 

     (4) The state board may provide a waiver for any person who is

 

not able to meet the requirements described in this section,

 

including a requirement that a school administrator must possess a

 

valid teaching certificate, due to unusual circumstances.

 

     (5) A school administrator's certificate issued under this

 

section is valid for 5 years and shall be renewed upon completion

 

of renewal units as determined by the state board.

 

     (6) The state board shall promulgate rules it considers

 

necessary to implement this section.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 6 months

 

after the date it is enacted into law.