HB 2463 -- Teacher Continuing Contracts

Sponsor:  Dieckhaus

This bill changes the laws regarding teacher contracts and
establishes the Teacher Continuing Contract Act which will apply
to teachers in all school districts, including St. Louis City,
beginning July 1, 2011.  In its main provisions, the bill:

(1)  Replaces the current standards of teacher evaluation with
the Teacher Advancement Program standards in the framework for
teaching rubric as developed by Charlotte Danielson;

(2)  Specifies that the current Teacher Tenure Act will remain in
effect until June 30, 2011;

(3)  Specifies that a contract between a school district and a
teacher will be known as a continuing contract and will continue
in effect for up to three years;

(4)  Sets the number of years to reach permanent teacher status
at four;

(5)  Allows elements other than years of service and highest
degree held to be added to salary schedules including, but not
limited to, additional certification areas, certification in
high-need subjects, mentoring, and demonstrated ability to
improve student performance;

(6)  Adds unsatisfactory performance to the list of reasons for
which a permanent teacher may be terminated and requires teacher
evaluations to be considered in determining professional
competence;

(7)  Requires 15 days between the issuance of a notice of
termination hearing and the hearing;

(8)  Allows appeals of school board termination decisions to the
circuit court of the county where the employing school district's
office is located;

(9)  Requires teachers to be evaluated regularly and twice in the
final year of a continuing contract, with a scale of 88 based on
the required teaching standards, and limits scores in the top two
quartiles to no more than 60% of a building's teachers; and

(10)  Sets the length of a continuing contract based on the
quartile scores, with the top quartile receiving three-year
contracts, the second quartile receiving two-year contracts, and
the lowest two quartiles receiving one-year contracts.

Many provisions of the current teacher tenure law will remain the
same in the new act, including but not limited to:

(1)  Modifications of continuing contracts;

(2)  Leaves of absence, except that a leave of absence due to
teacher reduction may be granted for two years rather than three
years;

(3)  Termination of probationary teachers;

(4)  Board member civil liability for charges against teachers;
and

(5)  Teacher participation in school board election campaigns.

Missouri House of Representatives
95th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 14, 2010 at 3:14 pm