SB 543 – This act modifies provisions relating to elementary and secondary education. SUPERINTENDENT EVALUATIONS: By June 30, 2013, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must develop an evaluation instrument to be provided to school districts to evaluate superintendent performance. (Section 161.380) CHANGES IN SCHOOL DISTRICT COMPOSITION & MSIP REVIEW: When school districts consolidate, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must grant the new district a waiver from Missouri School Improvement Program review for three years. When a district undergoes an annexation or has a boundary line change that results in an increase in the number of enrolled pupils by ten percent, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must grant the district a waiver from Missouri School Improvement Program review for three years. (Section 162.1115) SCHOOL PERSONNEL COMPENSATION: This act places limits on the amount of compensation a board of education may provide to certain school district personnel. A superintendent, assistant superintendent, administrator, or central office personnel may not receive a total compensation package, as described in the act, that exceeds the amount of the district's total average salary for tenured teachers by two and one-half times. In addition, the average administrator salary must not exceed twice the amount of the district's average salary for tenured teachers. Any district that violates these limitations will have an amount equal to one percent of school funding provided through the foundation formula withheld. (Sections 168.107 & 168.223) REDUCTION IN FORCE: Current law allows the board of education of a school district to reduce the number of teachers in a school district under certain circumstances. This act requires a school board, when utilizing reduction in force, to reduce administrative costs by a percent equal to the percent by which the amount of funds spent on teacher compensation was reduced. (Sections 168.124 & 168.221) SUPERINTENDENT COMPENSATION REDUCTION: A school board may reduce the compensation of its superintendent of schools based on a comparison of student performance of non-district Missouri students possessing similar characteristics, as described in the act, and a finding that the district's students have underperformed as compared. This provision only applies to unaccredited or provisionally accredited school districts or districts that, for any three years, have obtained a score on their annual performance report consistent with a classification of unaccredited or provisionally accredited. A reduction in compensation may only occur for a superintendent after the board has employed him or her for four consecutive years. (Sections 168.211, 168.214) This act is identical to SCS/SB 99 (2011). MICHAEL RUFF