AR SB304

Superintendent employment contracts with school districts shall include standards for termination for cause when the district has been placed on fiscal distress due to superintendent commitments made without board notice or material misrepresentation regarding finances, and all appeals of the fiscal distress determination have been exhausted.

Superintendents being terminated for cause must receive notice of the reason, a hearing to explain or rebut the charges, and a written record of the hearing at district expense before termination by majority vote of the full school board.

Contract buyout agreements using state funds cannot exceed 12 months' worth of compensation or the amount owed under the remainder of the superintendent's contract, whichever is less.

State funds cannot be used in buyout agreements to compensate a superintendent for any term exceeding the remainder of the current fiscal year.

School districts may authorize an outgoing superintendent to obtain employment as a teacher or other agreed-upon position within the district rather than as superintendent.