House Bill 35

(As Passed the House)

AN ACT TO PROHIBIT SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM HIRING AS A CONSULTANT ANY EDUCATION ADMINISTRATOR WHOSE LAST FULL-TIME EDUCATION JOB IN MISSISSIPPI, WITHIN THE PRECEDING TWO YEARS, WAS WITH A SCHOOL DISTRICT DESIGNATED AN "F" SCHOOL DISTRICT UNDER THE STATE ACCREDITATION SYSTEM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) The school board of a local school district may contract with a person having professional experience in academic, finance or other managerial and operational functions of schools and school districts to serve as a consultant to the school board, superintendent, principals and licensed district and school level administrators in the district. However, any person having experience as a superintendent, principal or other licensed district or school level administrator whose last full-time employment in the field of education was with a school district in Mississippi designated by the State Board of Education as an "F" school district is not eligible to serve as a consultant to any school district in the state, including the district at which the person was last employed, for a period of two (2) years following the last date of the person's employment with the "F" school district. School districts seeking the services of a consultant shall verify the employment background of any person being considered to provide those services and may not contract with any person who does not meet the qualifications prescribed in this section.

(2) The provisions of this section prohibiting certain superintendents, principals or other licensed district or school level administrators from serving as a consultant shall not apply to any person who was assigned by the State Board of Education to serve in an administrative capacity as a conservator in any district under conservatorship nor any person who has transferred into a failing district from a district grading A, B or C using the MDE accountability model who has been in the failing district for a period of less than two (2) years.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2015.