Senate 899

WEST virginia legislature

2026 regular session

Committee Substitute

for

Senate Bill 899

By Senators Thorne, Grady, and Deeds

[Reported February 18, 2026, from the Committee on Education]

A BILL 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.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

article 2. school personnel.

§18A-2-9. Duties and responsibilities of school principals; assistant principals.

(a) Upon the recommendation of the county superintendent of schools, the county board of education shall employ and assign, through written contract, public school principals who shall be the principal instructional leader of the school and shall supervise the management and the operation of the school or schools to which they are assigned to improve student performance and progress. The principals shall hold valid administrative certificates appropriate for their assignments.

(b)(1) Beginning on July 1, 1994, 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 management techniques at an accredited institution of higher education and has successfully completed education and training in evaluation skills approved by the state board.

(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 quality schools, the school accreditation process and strategic planning for continuous improvement.

(3) Beginning on July 1, 2026, the prerequisites for issuance of an administrative certificate for principals for elementary schools shall be satisfied by teaching at the elementary school level for a minimum of 15 years: Provided, That the applicant successfully completes 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.

(4) Beginning on July 1, 2026, the prerequisites for issuance of an administrative certificate for principals for middle schools shall be satisfied by teaching at the middle school level for a minimum of 15 years: Provided, That the applicant successfully completes 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.

(5) Beginning on July 1, 2026, the prerequisites for issuance of an administrative certificate for principals for high schools shall be satisfied by teaching at the high school level for a minimum of 15 years: Provided, That the applicant successfully completes 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.

(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, assistant or administrator shall successfully complete education and training in evaluation skills approved by the state board.

(d) Under the supervision of the superintendent and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the county board of education, the principal:

(1) Shall assume administrative and instructional leadership responsibility for the planning, management, operation, and evaluation of the total educational program of the school or schools to which he or she is assigned;

(2) May submit recommendations to the superintendent regarding the appointment, assignment, promotion, transfer and dismissal of all personnel assigned to the school or schools under said principal’s control. The recommendations shall be submitted in writing as prescribed by the superintendent; and

(3) Shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the superintendent pursuant to the rules and regulations of the county board of education.

(e) Upon recommendation of the county superintendent of schools, the county board of education shall, when needed, employ and assign, through written contract, assistant principals who shall work under the direction of the school principal. Such assistant principals shall hold valid administrative certificates appropriate for their assignments.

(f) The assignment of principals and assistant principals by each county board of education is subject to the following:

(1) A certificated principal shall be assigned to each school;

(2) A principal may not be assigned more than two schools;

(3) No additional schools may be assigned to the principal of a school where enrollment exceeds 400 students;

(4) A principal assigned to more than one school may not be assigned any teaching duties except on a temporary emergency basis;

(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-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;

(8) Nothing in this section prohibits a county board of education from assigning a full-time principal to a school with a net enrollment of less than 170 students; and

(9) The State Board of Education may not deny a county board of education the right to place a principal in a school with less than 170 students.