SF 2088

as introduced - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 03/27/2012 08:33am

A bill for an act
relating to education; changing by one month the date by which a school board
must notify a probationary teacher about not renewing the teacher's contract;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2011 Supplement, section 122A.40, subdivision 5.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2011 Supplement, section 122A.40, subdivision 5,
is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

Probationary period.

(a) The first three consecutive years of a teacher's
first teaching experience in Minnesota in a single district is deemed to be a probationary
period of employment, and, the probationary period in each district in which the teacher is
thereafter employed shall be one year. The school board must adopt a plan for written
evaluation of teachers during the probationary period that is consistent with subdivision
8. Evaluation must occur at least three times periodically throughout each school year
for a teacher performing services during that school year; the first evaluation must occur
within the first 90 days of teaching service. Days devoted to parent-teacher conferences,
teachers' workshops, and other staff development opportunities and days on which a
teacher is absent from school must not be included in determining the number of school
days on which a teacher performs services. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b),
during the probationary period any annual contract with any teacher may or may not be
renewed as the school board shall see fit. However, the board must give any such teacher
whose contract it declines to renew for the following school year written notice to that
effect before deleted text begin June deleted text end new text begin July new text end 1. If the teacher requests reasons for any nonrenewal of a teaching
contract, the board must give the teacher its reason in writing, including a statement
that appropriate supervision was furnished describing the nature and the extent of such
supervision furnished the teacher during the employment by the board, within ten days
after receiving such request. The school board may, after a hearing held upon due notice,
discharge a teacher during the probationary period for cause, effective immediately,
under section 122A.44.

(b) A board must discharge a probationary teacher, effective immediately, upon
receipt of notice under section 122A.20, subdivision 1, paragraph (b), that the teacher's
license has been revoked due to a conviction for child abuse or sexual abuse.

(c) A probationary teacher whose first three years of consecutive employment are
interrupted for active military service and who promptly resumes teaching consistent with
federal reemployment timelines for uniformed service personnel under United States
Code, title 38, section 4312(e), is considered to have a consecutive teaching experience
for purposes of paragraph (a).

(d) A probationary teacher must complete at least 120 days of teaching service each
year during the probationary period. Days devoted to parent-teacher conferences, teachers'
workshops, and other staff development opportunities and days on which a teacher is
absent from school do not count as days of teaching service under this paragraph.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2012-2013 school year and
later.
new text end