This bill proposes significant updates to the current statutes regarding performance-based pay for school district superintendents. Under the new provisions, a school district can only award performance-based pay if specific criteria are met, including the superintendent achieving established performance goals and the district's average assessment scores being at least equal to the state's average. Additionally, the governing board must approve the performance pay with a two-thirds majority vote in a public meeting. The bill also mandates that each school district submit annual reports detailing performance-based pay awarded to superintendents, which will be reviewed by the county school superintendent and reported to the Arizona Department of Education.

Furthermore, the bill introduces civil penalties for violations of these performance pay requirements. If a school district is found to be in violation, the Attorney General or county attorney can investigate and take legal action, with potential penalties of up to $1,000 imposed on individual governing board members responsible for approving non-compliant performance pay. The bill also stipulates that governing board members found in violation must pay any imposed penalties and seek to recover any improperly awarded performance pay to remain eligible for reelection. Overall, these changes aim to enhance accountability and ensure that performance-based pay is awarded fairly and in accordance with established standards.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-341, 15-503.01, 15-717.01, 15-701, 15-701.01, 15-481, 15-491, 15-342, 15-1224, 15-1125, 15-1126, 15-1223, 13-3108, 13-3120, 15-764, 15-761, 13-706, 13-105, 15-157, 15-107, 2008-2009, 39-101, 36-2267, 3-365, 41-5701.02, 41-5711, 15-1102