school districts; superintendent; employment contracts
HB 2385 sets new employment terms for school superintendents, principals, and school psychologists in Arizona public school districts. It limits superintendent contracts to one year for new hires (three years for those with three+ consecutive years) and requires a fingerprint clearance card for superintendents. The bill mandates that districts must offer contracts for the next school year by May 15 (or June 15 if an override election occurs), prohibits contract renegotiation within 15 months of expiration for multi-year agreements, and establishes standardized evaluation processes for administrators and school psychologists. These changes apply to all new or renewed contracts after the law takes effect.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 20, 2026
Last action Mar 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced Version
→
House Engrossed Version (02/26/2026)
·
3 edits
·
Feb 26, 2026
MINOR
The bill updates the formatting and official title of the legislation while retaining the core statutory text regarding superintendent and principal employment terms. It clarifies the timeline for contract offers and non-renewal notices, ensuring administrators receive contracts by May 15 (or June 15 if an override election occurs) and receive non-renewal notices by April 15 (or within five days after an election).
Scope change
The scope of applicability remains unchanged, as the bill explicitly states it applies to contracts executed or renewed after its effective date, covering existing and future agreements.
TECHNICAL
Updated the document header, title, and introductory language to reflect the 'House Engrossed Version' status and correct legislative session details.
Corrected minor grammatical inconsistencies and formatting errors within the statutory text, such as removing redundant words like 'developing' and 'adopting' and standardizing capitalization.
TIMELINE
Refined the deadlines for offering contracts and providing non-renewal notices to administrators and school psychologists, specifically clarifying the May 15 and April 15 dates and the conditions for extension if an override election is called.
Floor votes · House Feb 26, 2026
How they voted
36–17
Passed · 7 other
Total votes 60
Feb 26, 2026
D
Democratic27
62% Nay
R
Republican33
93% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
9
Key actions
3
Committee
1
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
DP
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
DP
lower
1 primary · 5 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 2385
Scope: AZ
Hi! I can help you understand HB 2385. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline