SPONSOR: Banderman
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education by a vote of 17 to 0.
The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HBs 2126 & 2197.
This bill defines "building-level administrator" as a school official who supervises or evaluates other licensed staff. The bill provides schools with direction on contracts for building- level administrators, including contract renewal and nonrenewal notice by March 1st in the year the contract would expire. An administrator whose contract is renewed must accept or reject the contract within 15 business days after receiving the contract.
Administrator contracts cannot be renewed or nonrenewed without having at least one evaluation within the contract year. Building level administrators who have contracts that are not renewed have the right to request and receive the reasons for nonrenewal within 10 days and have a right to a closed meeting with the school board within 10 days.
This bill is similar to HCS HB 1365 (2025).
The following is a summary of the public testimony from the committee hearing. The testimony was based on the introduced version of the bill.
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that having an earlier deadline gives administrators a better opportunity to seek out a new job if they need to. Often, the reason for a nonrenewal is not due to job performance but rather of a political nature. There should be safeguards in place for administrators and this bill provides certain protections. Having standard evaluations gives opportunity for improvement and provides both the administrator and the district with a smoother process.
Testifying in person for the bill were Representative Banderman; Missouri State Teachers Association; Missouri National Education Association; Stacy Fick, Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals; and Devin Johnson, Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals. OPPONENTS: There was no opposition voiced to the committee.
OTHERS: Others testifying on the bill say that currently, teacher and administrator evaluations are not included in the Missouri School Improvement Plan, but the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does provide multiple evaluation models that are growth orientated.
Testifying in person on the bill was Perry Gorrell.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony and witnesses testifying online can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: