PRINTER'S NO. 974
No. 839 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY HUGHES, MELLOW, LOGAN, STOUT, FERLO, WOZNIAK, MUSTO, STACK, COSTA AND TARTAGLIONE, MAY 4, 2007
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MAY 4, 2007
AN ACT 1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An 2 act relating to the public school system, including certain 3 provisions applicable as well to private and parochial 4 schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the 5 laws relating thereto," further providing for eligibility and 6 for qualifications; and providing for continuing professional 7 development for school and system leaders and for 8 Pennsylvania school leadership standards. 9 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 10 hereby enacts as follows: 11 Section 1. Section 1003 of the act of March 10, 1949 12 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, 13 amended December 19, 1975 (P.L.511, No.150), is amended to read: 14 Section 1003. Eligibility.--No person shall be eligible for 15 election or appointment as a district, or assistant district 16 superintendent, unless-- 17 (1) He holds a diploma from a college or other institution 18 approved by the Department of Education; 19 (2) He has had six (6) years' successful teaching 20 experience, not less than three of which shall have been in a
1 supervisory or administrative capacity; 2 (3) He has completed in a college or university a graduate 3 [course] program in education approved by the Department of 4 Education[;] that includes the Pennsylvania school leadership 5 standards under section 1217. Completion of the program shall 6 not be subject to waiver under section 1714-B unless the 7 candidate provides to the Secretary of Education evidence that 8 he has successfully completed an equivalent leadership 9 development program that addresses the school leadership 10 standards under section 1217. 11 (4) Provided that in school districts of the first class, 12 five (5) years of administrative experience at the level of 13 assistant, associate or deputy superintendent, may be 14 substituted for prescribed graduate administrative courses, and 15 which shall be the responsibility of the Secretary of Education 16 to review these equivalences to conform with State board 17 regulations. 18 Serving either as county, district, or assistant county or 19 district superintendent, or associate superintendent, in this 20 Commonwealth, at the time this act becomes effective, shall, 21 irrespective of the foregoing requirements, be considered 22 sufficient qualification for any of the aforesaid offices. 23 Section 2. Section 1109 of the act, amended March 19, 1970 24 (P.L.189, No.73), is amended to read: 25 Section 1109. Qualifications.--(a) Every teacher employed 26 to teach in the public schools of this Commonwealth must be a 27 person of good moral character, must be at least eighteen years 28 of age, and must be a citizen of the United States: Provided, 29 That citizenship may be waived in the case of exchange teachers 30 not permanently employed, and teachers employed for the purpose 20070S0839B0974 - 2 -
1 of teaching foreign languages, including special teachers who 2 speak the idiomatic or colloquial language of immigrants 3 residing in the school district, and employed for the purpose of 4 easing the transition period of such immigrants. 5 (b) Every principal appointed after August thirty-first, one 6 thousand nine hundred fifty-three, employed in the public 7 schools of this Commonwealth, who devotes one-half or more of 8 his time to supervision and administration, shall be properly 9 certificated by the Department of Public Instruction in 10 accordance with such standards as the State Board of Education 11 may establish. 12 (c) Individuals who were granted an administrative 13 certificate by the Department of Education prior to January 1, 14 2008, and who are employed for the first time in a position of 15 principal, vice principal or assistant principal in a public 16 school of this Commonwealth on or after January 1, 2008, shall 17 complete the induction program provided for in subsection (f) 18 within five years of appointment as a principal, vice principal 19 or assistant principal. 20 (d) Individuals who apply on or after January 1, 2008, for a 21 certificate to become eligible to serve as a principal, vice 22 principal or assistant principal in a public school in this 23 Commonwealth and who otherwise meet the requirements for such 24 certificate shall be issued an Administrative I certificate. No 25 individual may serve as a principal, vice principal or assistant 26 principal on an Administrative I certificate for more than five 27 school years. 28 (e) The holder of an Administrative I certificate shall be 29 issued an Administrative II certificate upon application to the 30 Department of Education verifying three years of satisfactory 20070S0839B0974 - 3 -
1 service on an Administrative I certificate and successful 2 completion of the induction program described in subsection (f). 3 (f) The Department of Education shall design and offer an 4 induction program at no cost to those principals, vice 5 principals and assistant principals who participate and at no 6 cost to their employer school entities and shall approve other 7 providers to offer induction programs. All induction programs 8 shall be designed to aid in development in the core school 9 leadership standards identified in section 1217(a)(1). 10 Participants in an induction program shall not be required to 11 attend more than thirty-six (36) hours of induction during any 12 one school year or a total of one hundred eight (108) hours. 13 Hours of participation in an induction program shall be applied 14 toward meeting the certificate holder's continuing professional 15 education requirements under section 1205.2. 16 Section 3. The act is amended by adding sections to read: 17 Section 1205.5. Continuing Professional Development for 18 School and System Leaders.--(a) Beginning January 1, 2008, 19 every school and system leader shall meet the continuing 20 professional education requirements of section 1205.2 through 21 participation in programs approved in accordance with this 22 section. For any certificate holder who serves in both 23 administrative and nonadministrative positions during a 24 compliance period as defined in section 1205.2, the certificate 25 holder's continuing education credit requirements shall be 26 earned in programs approved in accordance with this section in 27 no less than the same proportion as the proportion of the 28 compliance period during which the certificate holder served on 29 an administrative certificate or letter of eligibility. 30 (b) For the compliance period in effect on January 1, 2008, 20070S0839B0974 - 4 -
1 this section shall only apply to any credits or hours needed to 2 satisfy the unmet requirements of the current compliance period. 3 (c) The Department of Education shall design and offer 4 continuing professional development programs at no cost to 5 school and system leaders who are required by this section to 6 participate and at no cost to their employer school entities. In 7 the event that individuals are unable to access these programs 8 because all available slots are filled, the individual may 9 request and shall be granted upon review by the department an 10 extension of the compliance period. 11 (d) The Department of Education shall approve other 12 providers to offer induction and continuing professional 13 development programs for school and system leaders and shall 14 annually publish a list of approved providers. 15 (e) All programs offered or approved by the Department of 16 Education under this section shall address the Pennsylvania 17 school leadership standards pursuant to section 1217. 18 (f) The Secretary of Education may adopt standards as 19 necessary to implement this section. 20 (g) For the purpose of this section, school and system 21 leaders shall include any individual serving on a certificate as 22 a principal, vice principal, assistant principal, 23 superintendent, assistant superintendent, intermediate unit 24 executive director, assistant intermediate unit executive 25 director or director of an area vocational-technical school. 26 Section 1217. Pennsylvania School Leadership Standards.--(a) 27 Programs provided under section 1205.5(c) and (d) to prepare 28 school and system leaders and for purposes of issuing 29 administrator certificates or letters of eligibility and 30 approved programs for the induction and continuing professional 20070S0839B0974 - 5 -
1 development of school and system leaders shall address: 2 (1) The following core standards: 3 (i) The knowledge and skills to think and plan strategically 4 creating an organizational vision around personalized student 5 success. 6 (ii) An understanding of standards-based systems theory and 7 design and the ability to transfer that knowledge to the 8 leader's job as the architect of standards-based reform in the 9 school. 10 (iii) The ability to access and use appropriate data to 11 inform decision-making at all levels of the system. 12 (2) The following corollary standards: 13 (i) Creating a culture of teaching and learning with an 14 emphasis on learning. 15 (ii) Managing resources for effective results. 16 (iii) Collaborating, communicating, engaging and empowering 17 others inside and outside of the organization to pursue 18 excellence in learning. 19 (iv) Operating in a fair and equitable manner with personal 20 and professional integrity. 21 (v) Advocating for children and public education in the 22 larger political, social, economic, legal and cultural context. 23 (vi) Supporting professional growth of self and others 24 through practice and inquiry. 25 (b) The State Board of Education may promulgate regulations 26 to carry out the provisions of this section. 27 (c) For the purpose of this section, school and system 28 leaders shall include any individual serving on a certificate as 29 a principal, vice principal, assistant principal, 30 superintendent, assistant superintendent, intermediate unit 20070S0839B0974 - 6 -
1 executive director, assistant intermediate unit executive 2 director or director of an area vocational-technical school. 3 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007, or 4 immediately, whichever is later. D30L24MSP/20070S0839B0974 - 7 -