Summary:

 House Bill 157 (HB 157) creates new licenses for site administrators, superintendents and other school administrators. HB 157 provides enhanced qualifications and requirements. HB 157 enacts the School Administrator Development Act, providing powers and duties and setting criteria. HB 157 provides for a delayed repeal of current school administrator licenses. HB 157 amends, repeals and enacts sections of the NMSA 1978.
 

Legislation Overview:

 House Bill 157 (HB 157) creates new licenses for site administrators, superintendents and other school administrators and makes additional changes and requirements as follows:
SECTION 1 amends the School Personnel Act in Definitions as used in this act to delete Subsection M (responsibility factor). Subsection R is inserted to provide the definition for “site administrator”. Subsection T defining “state institution” is amended to delete the New Mexico boys’ school, girls’ welfare home and the following is inserted: juvenile detention centers operated by the Children, Youth and Families Department, including the New Mexico youth diagnostic and development center. The John Paul Taylor Center is added to this definition.
SECTION 2 amends the School Personal Act License or Certificate Required in Subsection A to delete an exception from certification or licensing for a practice teacher or teaching intern. Subsection A requires a criminal history record check requirement that shall apply to specified applicants. Subsection A(9) through A(13) and A(21) are inserted to require criminal history checks for applicants for provisional, initial and professional site administrator licenses; applicants for provisional superintendents and superintend licenses; and applicants for student teachers.
SECTION 3 amends Public School Code addressing Teachers and School Administrators licensing to insert Subsection D, E, G and H as follows: 
D. An initial site administrator license is for teachers and instructional support providers who commence a new career path in site administration by becoming assistant school principals, school principals or charter school administrators. A professional site administrator license is given to an assistant school principal, school principal or charter school head administrator who is a fully qualified professional who may choose to remain at this level for the remainder of the assistant school principal's, school principal's or charter school head administrator's career.
E. A superintendent license is the highest level of administrative licensure for those administrators who choose to undertake the responsibilities of leading a school district. Charter school governing bodies may choose to require head administrators to hold a superintendent license based on the needs of the school.
G. All teachers, instructional support providers and school administrators who hold valid level three-B licenses on July 1, 2028 shall be granted a professional site administrator license. 
H. All school administrators who hold valid level three-B licenses and have worked as local superintendents prior to July 1, 2028 shall be granted a superintendent license.
A previous Subsection E is deleted.
SECTION 4 adds a new section of the School Personnel Act to provide a Provisional Site Administrator License as follows:
A. A provisional site administrator license is a one-year license granted to a level two or three-A teacher who meets the qualifications for that license. 
B. To qualify for a provisional site administrator license, the candidate shall meet the requirements specified in this subsection.
C. The provisional license is renewable up to three times upon annual proof of enrollment in a department-approved site administrator preparation program and satisfactory evaluations each year from the school district's mentoring program. After successful completion of the program and satisfactory evaluations, the provisional license may be converted to a professional site administrator license if the candidate completes the requirements for that license. 
SECTION 5 adds a new section of the School Personnel Act to provide for the Initial Site Administrator license as follows:
A. Defines "responsibility factor” and assigns values.
B. An initial site administrator license is a three-year license granted to an applicant who meets the qualifications for that license. Up to two one-year renewals may be granted upon request by the local superintendent. 
C. The department shall grant an initial site administrator license to an applicant who meets the criteria specified in this subsection.
D. The minimum annual salary for a licensed site administrator serving as a school principal or assistant school principal is the minimum salary for a level three-A teacher multiplied by the applicable responsibility factor. 
E. The department shall adopt a uniform statewide standard of evaluation as specified in this subsection.
SECTION 6 adds a new section of the School Personnel Act to provide for the Professional Site Administrator license as follows:
A. A professional site administrator license is a five-year license granted to an applicant who meets the qualifications for that license. 
B. The department shall grant a professional site administrator license to an applicant who meets the qualifications specified in this subsection.
C. Licenses may be renewed on successful completion of department-required professional development and satisfactory annual performance evaluations.
SECTION 7 adds new section of the School Personnel Act to provide for Provisional Superintendent License as follows:
A. A provisional superintendent license is a one-year license granted to an applicant who meets the qualifications for that license. A provisional license may be renewed up to three times with annual proof of enrollment in a department-approved aspiring superintendent academy and the recommendation of an induction coach. 
B. The department shall grant a provisional superintendent license to an applicant who meets the criteria specified in this subsection.
SECTION 8 adds a new section of the School Personnel Act to provide for the Superintendent License as follows: 
A superintendent license is a five-year license granted to an applicant who meets the qualifications for that license. 
B. The department shall grant a superintendent license to an applicant who meets the criteria specified in this subsection.
C. Licenses may be renewed upon successful completion of department-required professional development. 
SECTION 9 adds a new section of the School Personnel Act to provide that the department may establish new licensure requirements of school administrators who are not licensed as site administrators or superintendents. 
SECTION 10 amends Public Schools code to provide Limited Reciprocity.
Subsection A is amended to delete “school principal” throughout and insert “site administrator.
Subsection B is amended to read as follows:
B. The department may grant an initial site administrator license to an out-of-state candidate who does not meet the other requirements and qualifications of that license if the candidate meets the criteria specified in this subsection.
SECTION 11 amends the School Personnel Act regarding certificates of waiver to insert Subsection D and E to provide, upon request from the designated authority, a one-year waiver for a person who does not meet the requirements for a site administrator (D) or superintendent (E) license.
SECTION 12 adds a new section of the Public Schools code to specify that Chapter 22, Article 10D NMSA 1978 may be cited as the School Administrator Development Act (Act).
SECTION 13 adds a new section of the Act to provide definitions as used in the Act.

SECTION 14. A new section of the Act provides for standards-based site administrator preparation programs as follows:
A. A public post-secondary education institution, tribal college or other qualified entity that wants to offer a school administrator preparation program is required to have the program approved by the department in accordance with criteria set forth in the Act. The department shall promulgate rules to implement the provisions of the Act. 
B. The department establish criteria for programs as specified in this subsection.
C. The department shall convene a task force as specified to develop common performance tasks that shall be completed by applicants for initial or professional site administrator licenses and superintendent licenses. 
D. No later than July 1, 2026, programs shall be approved by the department before enrolling new students seeking site administrator licensure. Students enrolled before the effective date of the Act may be granted licensure in accordance with existing program approvals.
E. The department shall provide a process for approving new and revised programs. The department shall consult the Professional Practices and Standards Council and publish a manual outlining the requirements for program approval. The process shall be aligned with the Act and meet the general requirements of the program as determined by the department. 
F. All programs seeking approval pursuant to the Act, including those approved prior to the effective date of that Act, shall submit an application to the department by January 15, 2026. Applications shall provide the information outlined in the school administrator preparation professional practices and standards manual published in accordance with Subsection E of this section. 
G. The department shall monitor program success and candidate outcomes as specified in this subsection.
H. Nothing in this section shall preclude the department from establishing or accepting equivalent requirements for the purposes of reciprocal licensure for out-of-state school administrators as provided in Section 22-10A-12 NMSA 1978." 
SECTION 15 repeals effective July 1, 2028 the following of the following Public School code:
- Sections 22-10A-11.3, 22-10A-11.4 and 22-10A-17.2 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2009, Chapter 117, Section 2, Laws 2015, Chapter 74, Section 2 and Laws 2017, Chapter 68, Section 1, as amended).
SECTION 16 makes the effective date July 1, 2025. 

Current Law:

 House Bill 157 makes changes in the Public School Code and the School Personnel Act regarding site administrators and superintendents. 
 

Amendments:

 House Bill 157 is amended by the House Education Committee in multiple sections to set a later date for actions. Subsection is inserted to allow reciprocity for superintendent licenses. The changes are as follows:
In SECTION 3, TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS  —Subsections G and H have 2028 struck and replaced with 2029.
In SECTION 10, LIMITED RECIPROCITY, Subsection C is inserted as follows:
C. The department may grant a superintendent license to an out-of-state candidate who does not meet the other requirements and qualifications of that license if the candidate: (1) has a standard, valid, unencumbered school administrator license from another state; (2) has worked as a superintendent for at least three years; (3) is enrolled in a department-approved superintendent induction program; and (4) meets other requirements of the department. 
In SECTION 14, STANDARDS-BASED SITE ADMINISTRATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS in Subsections D and F, 2026 is struck and 2027 is inserted. 
In SECTION 15. DELAYED REPEAL strike 2028 and insert 2029.