STATEHOUSE – House Bill (HB) 1357 authored by State Rep. Todd Huston (R-Fishers) regarding school administrators passed out of the House on Tuesday with a 58 to 40 vote. The bill proposes that a superintendent of schools would not be required to hold a teacher’s or superintendent’s license.
“It is important that the focus remains on local school flexibility,” said Rep. Huston. “This does not diminish the value of a superintendent’s license; it is about finding the perfect leader for the school corporation and providing a local school board with the option to expand their pool of candidates. That individual could be a licensed superintendent, a non-profit leader or a corporate citizen, depending on the needs of the school corporation determined by the school board.”
If enacted, local school boards of education would be able to hire individuals they deem qualified to fill the position of the Superintendent without having to ask the state for a waiver of licensing requirements. However, it does not prevent a local school board from making a license a qualification for employment, thus allowing boards the opportunity to determine the experience they want in a superintendent candidate.
HB 1357 now goes on to the Senate for further consideration and debate. For more information on this bill and other legislation, visit www.in.gov/legislative.
