005.16.14 Ark. Code R. 001

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 10, October, 2024

Rule 005.16.14-001 - ADE 272: Rules Governing Eligibility and Financial Incentives for Arkansas Leadership Academy Master Principal Program

1.0 Regulatory Authority

1.01 These rules shall be known as the Arkansas Department of Education (Department) Rules Governing the Arkansas Leadership Academy Master Principal Program.

1.02 These rules are enacted under the Arkansas State Board of Education's (State Board) authority pursuant to Ark. Code. Ann. §§ 6-11-105, 6-17-1601 etseq., 25-15-201 etseq., and Act 459 of 2013.

2.0 Purpose

2.01 The purpose of these rules is:

2.01.1 The improvement of student learning by strengthening principal leadership;

2.01.2 The encouragement of principals to participate in and complete the Master Principal Program by authorizing the Department to pay full incentive bonuses to participants;

2.01.3 The establishment of eligibility requirements; and

2.01.4 The establishment of the mechanism for the payment to principal participants, as determined by the amount of funding available for the program.

Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-1602 3.0 Definitions

3.0 Definitions

For the purposes of these rules, the following terms shall mean:

3.01 "Building Level Principal" means a principal who is required to hold a standard building-level administrator license from the Department and who serves as a full-time school principal in an Arkansas public school.

3.02 "High-need public school" means an Arkansas public school that, at the time a master principal first becomes entitled to a high-need school salary bonus, is identified as failing to meet certain established levels of academic achievement under rules adopted by the State Board.

3.03 "High-need school salary bonus" means an annual bonus to a Master Principal serving as a principal of a high-need public school.

3.04 "Hold-back longevity bonus" means a portion of the high-need school salary bonus held back to be paid at the end of three (3) years and five (5) years of serving as a principal of the same high-need public school.

3.05 "Incentive bonus" means a bonus paid to a Master Principal serving as a principal of any public school in the state.

3.06 "Successful completion" of the Master Principal Designation process is defined as officially being designated as a Master Principal by the Arkansas Leadership Academy.

3.07 "The Arkansas Leadership Academy" is defined as a collaborative partnership which identifies and designates principals who meet rigorous standards by effectively demonstrating student learning in their schools as well as demonstrating high levels of knowledge, skills, dispositions, and commitments reflected in the following five core areas:

3.07.1 Building and Sustaining Accountability Systems

3.07.2 Building and Maintaining Collaborative Relationships

3.07.3 Leading and Managing Change

3.07.4 Developing a Deep Knowledge of Teaching and Learning

3.07.5 Creating and Living the Mission and Vision

Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-1601

4.0 Selection Process and Requirements

4.01 The Arkansas Leadership Academy administers the Master Principal Program.

4.01.1 Applications are available on-line from the Arkansas Leadership Academy at: www.arkansasleadershipacademy.org.

4.01.2 All Arkansas public school building level principals with one (1) year of experience as a building-level principal and who hold a standard building-level administrator's license may apply.

4.02 Criteria and Selection to the Master Principal Program:

4.02.1Phase I ("Principal Institute) Selection: Selection of participants for Phase I will be based on responses to the application and on a balance of demographic information.

4.02.2 The number of participants each year may be determined by the amount of funding available for the program.

4.02.3Phase II: Selection of participants for Phase II and Phase III shall be based on evidence presented showing implementation of knowledge and skills in the principal's school and based on criteria in the scoring guides.

4.02.3.1 Current Principal Institute graduates will present evidence of success in Phase I performance areas and complete the required Phase I assessments to apply for Phase II.

4.02.3.2 Principals completing Building-Level Administrator Licensure requirements, under the current performance-based licensure system, will have the opportunity to present evidence of success in Phase I performance area and complete the required Phase I assessments to apply for Phase II.

4.02.4Phase III: Selection of participants for Phase III will be based on a participant's successful completion of Phase II assessments, evidence of school results, and letters of recommendation.

4.02.5Master Principal Designation: The Arkansas Leadership Academy will make a Master Principal Designation after a participant successfully completes Phase III, passes extensive reviews of school results, and passes rigorous assessments.

4.02.6 Participants in the Master Principal Program will have up to two (2) years to complete the assessments for each phase for a maximum time of six (6) years to complete the process, unless waived by the Arkansas Leadership Academy for extenuating circumstances.

Source: Ark. Code Aim. § 6-17-1602

5.0 Payment of Fees and Bonuses

5.01 Incentive B onus

5.01.1 The Department of Education shall pay a $9,000 annual incentive bonus to a school district that employs a Master Principal Designee as a full-time building-level principal for payment to the Master Principal Designee as a bonus in the first school year after designation and a yearly bonus for each of the next four (4) consecutive years of eligibility.

5.01.2 The lifetime maximum for an incentive bonus is $45,000.

5.01.3 A qualified applicant will establish eligibility for receipt of the incentive bonus by submitting to the Department, on an annual basis, proof of:

5.01.3.1 Receiving the official Master Principal Designation from the Arkansas Leadership Academy;

5.01.3.2 At the time of receiving the bonus, being employed full-time as a building-level principal in an Arkansas public school district, verified by the school district;

5.01.3.3 Not having received the $9,000 annual incentive bonus for more than four (4) years.

Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-1603

5.02 High-need School Salary Bonus

5.02.1 The Department shall pay a high-need salary bonus of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for every school year for no more than five (5) years to any building-level principal who:

5.02.1.1 Receives Master Principal Designation from the Leadership Academy; and

5.02.1.2 Is employed full time as a building-level principal at the time of receiving the bonus in a high-need public school.

5.02.2 The high-need school salary bonus shall be paid as follows:

5.02.2.1 Twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for each school year that a Master Principal is employed in a high-need public school; and

5.02.2.2 An additional five thousand dollars ($5,000) to be set aside for each qualifying school year to be paid as follows:

5.02.2.2.1 A hold-back longevity bonus of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) at the end of three (3) consecutive school years as a Master Principal in the same school; and

5.02.2.2.2 A hold-back longevity bonus often thousand dollars ($10,000) at the end of five (5) consecutive school years as a Master Principal in the same school.

5.02.3 The high-need school salary bonus with the hold-back longevity bonus payable under this section shall be paid in addition to the five-year incentive bonus allowed in 5.01 if the Master Principal is within the timeframe for eligibility for the five-year incentive bonus.

5.02.4 Regardless of a person's past participation in the Master Principal Program, a person shall not receive a yearly incentive bonus, a salary bonus, or a longevity bonus if the person leaves the full-time employment as a principal of an Arkansas public school district; becomes employed as a district-level, central office administrator; is employed by an Arkansas institution of higher education; or is employed by an education service cooperative and does not serve in a school with students.

5.02.5 No increase in the starting or yearly bonus is retroactive.

5.02.6 A Master Principal eligible for and receiving a high-need salary bonus as of May 1, 2013, for serving as a principal of a public school in school improvement shall remain eligible for a high-need school salary bonus and hold-back longevity bonus while serving as principal of that same public school.

Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-1604

6.0 Repayment of Yearly Incentive Bonus

6.01 Repayment of state funds for the Arkansas Leadership Academy Master Principal is required if a recipient does not complete the school-year in which the bonus was received as a full-time building-level principal. The repayment amount shall be prorated for the time not served.

6.02 The State Board may revoke a building-level administrator license for failure to repay state funds under these rules.

7.0 Monitoring

7.01 The local public school district that employs a Master Principal must verify to the Department annually the employment status of that principal for each year of the five-year annual incentive bonus eligibility.

8.0 Funding

8.01 The payment for any bonus under these rules is subject to the appropriation and availability of funds.

8.02 To the extent funds as provided for by Ark. Code Ann § 6-17-1601 et seq. are available, such funds may be used to fund the incentive bonus, high-need salary bonus, and hold-back longevity bonus.

005.16.14 Ark. Code R. 001

6/11/2014