SB 899 — Permitting certain teachers to be certified to work as school principals

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION Enrolled Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 899 BYBy SENATORSTSenators HORNE,Thorne, RADY,ANDDGrady, EEDS [Reported February 18, 2026, from the Committee on Education] CS for SB 899 A BILL to amend and reenactDeeds §18A-2-9[Passed ofMarch the14, Code2026; of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to permitting teachers with a minimum of 15 years of experience teaching at the elementary, middle, or high school level to be certified to work as school principals at the school level in which they have the 15 years of experience teaching if they also successfully complete a year-long program developed and administered by the West Virginia Department of Education to ensure the candidate demonstrates competence in the core elements of school administration, including but not limited to, instructional leadership, school finance, personnel management, student discipline, and school law.

in effect 90 days from passage (June 12, 2026)] Enr CS for SB 899 AN ACT to amend and reenact §18A-2-9 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to permitting teachers with a minimum of 15 years of experience teaching at the elementary, middle, or high school level to be certified to work as school principals at the school level in which they have the 15 years of experience teaching if they also successfully complete a year-long program developed and administered by the West Virginia Department of Education to ensure the candidate demonstrates competence in the core elements of school administration, including but not limited to, instructional leadership, school finance, personnel management, student discipline, and school law.

(2) Beginning on July 1, 2019, the prerequisites for issuance of an administrative certificate for principals shall include that the person has successfully completed at least six credit hours of approved course work in public school instructional leadership and management techniques at an accredited institution of higher education, including, but not limited to, the standards for high 1 Enr CS for SB 899 quality schools, the school accreditation process and strategic planning for continuous improvement.

(c) Prior to employment as a principal or assistant principal, or in another administrative position the duties of which require conducting personnel performance evaluations, the principal, 2 Enr CS for SB 899 assistant or administrator shall successfully complete education and training in evaluation skills approved by the state board.

3 Enr CS for SB 899 (5) A principal shall be assigned full-time at each school whose net enrollment equals or exceeds 170 students and may not be assigned any teaching duties except on a temporary emergency basis;

(6) A principal assigned on a full-time basis to a school whose net enrollment is more than seventy-five 75 students but less than 170 students shall have a minimum of twenty 20 hours per week for non-teachingnon- teaching duties;

(7) A principal assigned on a full-time basis to a school with seventy-five 75 students or less shall have a minimum of 10 hours per week for non-teaching duties;

4 Enr CS for SB 899 The Clerk of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Delegates hereby certify that the foregoing bill is correctly enrolled.

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Clerk of the Senate ...............................................................

Clerk of the House of Delegates Originated in the Senate.

In effect 90 days from passage.

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President of the Senate ...............................................................

Speaker of the House of Delegates __________ The within is ................................................

this the...........................................

Day of ..........................................................................................................., 2026.

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Governor 5