Principal Tenure Threatened

House Bill 1325

 

   House Bill 1325 has been recently introduced. It is the legislation drafted in response to Governor Rendell's Plan for a New Pennsylvania education initiative. Within this legislation is a proposal to eradicate Act 93 and put in its place a discretionary principal contract. This contract will not only take away a principals' right to sit down with a group to determine his/her compensation, but PAESSP believes that it will add to the already serious administrator shortage in the Commonwealth.

   Regional meetings are currently being held across Pennsylvania for principals to learn about this issue and to discuss what is happening. But this is not enough! We need your help to fight for our rights as administrators!

   A letter-writing campaign is now getting underway. After reading PAESSP's response to this serious issue that appears below, you will find a link to a Sample Letter (in Microsoft Word) and links to a list of Senators by School District and Representatives by School District. Please complete this letter and mail (or e-mail) it to your legislators in the school district where you LIVE (not the school district in which you WORK).  After locating your home district legislators, click on the link directly underneath to locate your legislators' addresses (State Senators Address Information or House of Representatives Address Information). Please customize the letter to reflect your own personal circumstances.

   If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Dan Collins at [email protected]. To review the legislation, please go the PAESSP home page, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the Electronic Billroom link. This link will take you directly to the Electronic Billroom. Once there, type House Bill 1325 into the designated area, and it will take you to the legislation.

 

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PA Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals

House Education Committee Presentation

May 28, 2003

 

 

  1. The Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals supports many of the Rendell administration education reform proposals:

 

 

  1. PAESSP recognizes and supports the importance of statewide testing.  However, statewide testing should not be the only measure of school effectiveness.

 

  1. PAESSP has serious concerns about the discretionary contract proposal contained in House Bill 1325.  Act 93 has served the needs of school boards and administrators as the mechanism to meet and discuss management compensation and benefits issues.  PAESSP advocates no change to this process.

 

  1. PAESSP is concerned that discretionary principal contracts will further reduce the available pool of principal candidates.  While it is true that there are more individuals certified to be school principals than the labor pool requires, PAESSP is finding that significant numbers of those individuals are unwilling to leave the classroom to assume an administrative leadership position.  H.B. 1325 will exacerbate this situation. 

 

  1. Elimination of the due process provisions currently contained in the School Code will tend to politicize the school principal position.

 

  1. The discretionary contract proposal is only applicable to building principals and does not include any other Act 93 management employees. This provision is highly unfair.  

 

  1. Secretary Phillips has indicated that principals should be paid more to compensate for accountability requirements.  There are no provisions in H.B. 1325 to address compensation issues.  

 

  1. Under the current requirements of the School Code, school boards have the power to remove ineffective school principals.  However, the School Code provisions insure protection of individual professional rights.