Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 005 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Division 16 - Division of Human Resources ***
Rule 005.16.07-013 - ADE 272: Rules Governing the Arkansas Leadership Academy Master School Principal Designation (Master Principal Program)

Universal Citation: AR Admin Rules 005.16.07-013

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 9, September, 2024

1.00 Regulatory Authority

1.01 These rules shall be known as the Arkansas Department of Education (Department) Rules Governing the Arkansas Leadership Academy Master School Principal Designation (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 et seq. and 25-15-201 et seq.

2.00 Purpose

2.01 There are two (2) purposes of these rules:
2.01.1 The improvement of student learning by strengthening principal leadership and the encouragement of principals to participate in and complete the Master School Principal Program by authorizing the Department to pay full incentive bonuses to participants and by establishing eligibility requirements; and

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

3.00 Definitions

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

3.01 "Building Level Administrator" 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 school salary bonus" means an annual bonus to Master Principals serving as a principal of a public school in phase two (2) or phase three (3) school improvement status or of a public school located in a school district which is in academic distress.

3.03 "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 public school in phase two (2) or phase three (3) school improvement status or of a public school which is located in a school district in academic distress.

3.04 Incentive bonus" means a bonus paid to Master Principals serving as a principal of any public school in the state. It is a one-time bonus given during the school year beginning with the first complete school year after an individual first obtains Master School Principal Designation. The amount is $9,000 per year for no more than five (5) years as long as the principal serves as a full-time school principal in an Arkansas public school. The lifetime maximum amount for any one principal is $45,000. This provision shall apply only to the extent that necessary funds are appropriated to the Department.

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

3.06 "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:
3.06.1 Building and Sustaining Accountability Systems

3.06.2 Building and Maintaining Collaborative Relationships

3.06.3 Leading and Managing Change

3.06.4 Developing a Deep Knowledge of Teaching and Learning

3.06.5 Creating and Living the Mission and Vision

4.00 Selection Process and Requirements

4.01 Application and Criteria for Selection to the Master Principal Program:
4.01.01 All Arkansas public school building level principals with one (1) years experience as a building principal and who hold a standard building level administrator's license may apply.

4.01.02 Selection of participants for Phase I will be based on responses to the application and on a balance of demographic information.

4.01.03 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.

4.01.04 Current Principal Institute graduates will have two (2) years to present evidence of success in Phase I performance areas and complete the required Phase I assessments to apply for Phase II.

4.01.05 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.

4.01.06 The time for completion the Master Principals Program will be flexible, however, those principals beginning the program after July 1, 2008, 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.

4.01.07 Applications for Phase I will be available on-line at the Arkansas Leadership Academy web page:

www.arkansasleadershipacademy.org.

4.02 Qualified applicants will establish eligibility for receipt of the "incentive bonus" referenced in Section 3.04 of these rules by submitting to the Department, on an annual basis, proof of:
4.02.01 Receiving the official Master School Principal Designation from the Arkansas Leadership Academy;

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

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

5.00 Payment of Fees and Bonuses

5.01 The Department of Education shall pay the $9,000 annual incentive bonus to the school district which employs the recipient of the bonus for payment to the recipient.

5.02 The Department shall pay any Master School Principal Designee who is employed in an Arkansas public school district as a full-time school-building principal in accordance with Section 3.04-4.02.03 of these rules a bonus in the first school-year after designation and a yearly bonus for each of the four (4) additional years of eligibility.

5.03 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:
5.03.01 Receives Master Principal Designation from the Arkansas Leadership Academy

5.03.02 Is employed full time as a building level principal at the time of receiving the bonus in an Arkansas public school district that is or was:
5.03.02.1 In phases 2, 3, 4 or 5 of school-improvement status at the time that the Master School Principal began his or her employment as a principal of the school, or

5.03.02.2 In a public school whose school district is in academic distress at the time the principal began his or her employment as a principal of the school.

5.04 The high-need salary bonus described in 5.03 shall be paid as follows:
5.04.01 Twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for each school year; and

5.04.02 An additional five thousand dollars ($5,000) to be set aside for each qualifying school year to be paid as follows:
5.04.02.1 A hold-back longevity bonus of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) at the end of three (3) consecutive school years as a Master School Principal in the same school; and

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

5.05 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.

5.06 No person shall receive either a yearly incentive bonus, a salary bonus, or a longevity bonus regardless of the person's past participation in the Master Principal Program if the person leaves the full-time employment as a principal of an Arkansas public school district.

5.07 No increase in the starting or yearly bonus is retroactive. (This excludes those recipients prior to rule implementation.)

6.00 Repayment of Yearly Incentive Bonus

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

6.02 The State Board can revoke a building-level administrator license for failure to repay state funds.

7.00 Monitoring

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

7.02 No person shall receive a yearly bonus if the person leaves the full-time employment 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.

8.00 Funding

8.01 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.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Arkansas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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