§ 115C-284. Method of selection and requirements.
Article 19.
Principals andSupervisors.
§ 115C‑284. Method ofselection and requirements.
(a) Principals andsupervisors shall be elected by the local boards of education upon therecommendation of the superintendent, in accordance with the provisions of G.S.115C‑276(j).
(b) In the cityadministrative units, principals shall be elected by the board of education ofsuch administrative unit upon the recommendation of the superintendent of cityschools.
(b1) To qualify forcertification as a school administrator, an individual must meet all of thefollowing requirements:
(1) Submit a completeapplication to the State Board.
(2) Pay the applicablefee.
(3) Have a bachelor'sdegree from an accredited college or accredited university.
(4) Have one of thefollowing:
a. A graduate degreefrom a public school administration program that meets the public schooladministration program approval standards established by the State Board ofEducation.
b. A master's degreefrom an accredited college or accredited university and, by December 31, 1999,have completed a public school administration program that meets the publicschool administration program approval standards set by the State Board ofEducation.
c. Education andtraining determined by the State Board of Education as equivalent.
(5) Pass the examadopted by the State Board.
(c) The State Board ofEducation shall have entire control of certifying all applicants forsupervisory and professional positions in all public elementary and highschools of North Carolina; and it shall prescribe the rules and regulations forthe renewal and extension of all certificates, and shall determine and fix thesalary for each grade and type of certificate which it authorizes. The StateBoard of Education shall require each applicant for an initial certificate orgraduate certificate to demonstrate the applicant's academic and professionalpreparation by achieving a prescribed minimum score at least equivalent to thatrequired by the Board on November 30, 1972, on a standard examinationappropriate and adequate for that purpose. If the Board shall specify theNational Teachers Examination for this purpose, the required minimum scoreshall not be lower than that which the Board required on November 30, 1972. TheBoard shall not issue provisional certificates for principals.
The Board shall issue a one‑yearprovisional assistant principal's certificate to an employee of a local boardonly if: (i) the local board determines there is a shortage of persons who holdor are qualified to hold a principal's certificate and the employee enrolls inan approved program leading to a masters degree in school administration beforethe provisional certificate expires; or (ii) the employee is enrolled in anapproved masters in school administration program and is participating in therequired internship under the masters program. The Board shall extend theprovisional certificate for a total of no more than two additional years whilethe employee is completing the program.
(c1) It is the policy ofthe State of North Carolina to maintain the highest quality principal andassistant principal education programs in order to enhance the competence ofprofessional personnel certified in North Carolina. To ensure that principaland assistant principal preparation programs are upgraded to reflect a morerigorous course of study, the State Board of Education shall submit to theGeneral Assembly not later than March 1, 1992, a plan to promote this policy.In developing this plan, the State Board shall consider (i) requiring theseprograms to include additional preparation for site‑based decision makingand for the additional autonomy being granted to local school units, (ii)enhancing program entrance requirements to include assessment of an applicant'sability to complete the program and to perform as a principal, and (iii)enhancing the overall content of the programs.
The State Board of Education,as lead agency in coordination and cooperation with the University Board ofGovernors and such other public and private agencies as are necessary, shallrefine the several certification requirements, standards for approval ofinstitutions of principal and assistant principal education, standards forinstitution‑based innovative and experimental programs, and standards forimproved efficiencies in the administration of the approved programs.
(c2) The State Board ofEducation shall adopt new standards by July 1, 2008, for school administratorpreparation programs. The new standards shall:
(1) Be aligned with therevised standards for the evaluation of school executives and specificallyaddress the use of the results of the Teacher Working Conditions Survey;
(2) Require evidence ofa high level of institutional commitment, including dedicated resources, foradministrator preparation program improvements and redesign;
(3) Require the use ofcross‑functional work teams to determine a common curriculum frameworkthat (i) is designed to align with defined standards, (ii) includes rigorouscore courses, and (iii) will produce administrators who meet the definedstandards. The cross‑functional work teams shall include school‑basedpersonnel, faculty from schools of education and other disciplines frominstitutions of higher education, and representatives of State agencies;
(4) Require the use ofcross‑functional work teams to design and periodically update specificstandards regarding placement, required activities, and evaluations of clinicalexperiences. These standards shall include appropriate training for the schoolleaders who agree to accept and supervise interns;
(5) Require writtenagreements between the institution of higher education and a local schooladministrative unit to govern their shared responsibility for (i) recruitmentand preparation of school administrators, especially with regard to clinicalexperiences including the internship, and (ii) a new administrator's successonce employed;
(6) Require authenticpartnerships between adjunct faculty and full‑time faculty to fullyaddress the need for both practical, field‑based experience and academic,theory‑based experience. These partnerships may require a change in theinstitution of higher education's definition of scholarly activity and itsreward system;
(7) Require allcandidates to complete a year‑long internship; and
(8) Require thedevelopment of portfolios for emerging leaders that provide evidence they areapplying their training to actual school needs and challenges.
Institutions of highereducation shall redesign their school administrator preparation programs tomeet the new standards and report to the State Board of Education on theredesign by July 1, 2009.
(d) Repealed by SessionLaws 1989, c. 385, s. 1.
(d1) It is the policy ofthe State of North Carolina that, subsequent to the adoption of a system ofclassroom teacher differentiation and prerequisites to candidacy for principal,a classroom teacher must have attained at least the second level ofdifferentiation, have at least four years of classroom teaching experience, andpossess, at least, a Masters Degree in Education Administration. Thissubsection shall not apply to educational personnel certified as of July 1,1984.
(e) It shall beunlawful for any board of education to employ or keep in service any principalor supervisor who neither holds nor is qualified to hold a certificate incompliance with the provision of the law or in accordance with the regulationsof the State Board of Education.
(f) The allotment ofclassified principals shall be one principal for each duly constituted schoolwith seven or more state‑allotted teachers.
(g) Local boards ofeducation shall have authority to employ supervisors in addition to those thatmay be furnished by the State when, in the discretion of the board ofeducation, the schools of the local school administrative unit can thereby bemore efficiently and more economically operated and when funds for the same areprovided in the current expense fund budget. The duties of such supervisorsshall be assigned by the superintendent with the approval of the board of education.
(h) All principals andsupervisors employed in the public schools of the State or in schools receivingpublic funds, shall be required either to hold or be qualified to hold acertificate in compliance with the provision of the law or in accordance withthe regulations of the State Board of Education. (1955, c. 1372 art. 5, ss.4, 27; art. 6, s. 6; art. 18, ss. 1‑4; 1963, c. 688, s. 3; 1965, c. 584,ss. 6, 20.1; 1969, c. 539; 1971, c. 1188, s. 1; 1973, cc. 236, 733; c. 770, ss.1, 2; 1975, c. 437, s. 7; c. 686, s. 1; c. 731, ss. 1, 2; c. 965, s. 3; 1977,c. 1088, s. 4; 1981, c. 423, s. 1; 1983 (Reg. Sess., 1984), c. 1103, s. 4; 1985(Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 975, s. 16; 1989, c. 385, s. 1; 1991, c. 689, s. 200(a);1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 1030, s. 28; 1993, c. 392, s. 2; 1999‑30, s.1; 1999‑394, s. 1; 2006‑264, s. 56(b); 2007‑517, s. 1; 2008‑187,s. 43.)