2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 20. Education › Chapter 4. Teachers, Superintendents, and Principals › Part 2. Teacher Employment -- Tenure › 20-4-204. Termination of tenure teacher services

20-4-204. Termination of tenure teacher services.
(1) (a) The following persons may make a recommendation in writing to the trustees of the district for termination of the services of a tenure teacher:
(i) a district superintendent;
(ii) in a district without a district superintendent, a principal;
(iii) in a district without a district superintendent or a principal, the county superintendent or a trustee of the district.
(b) The recommendation must state clearly and explicitly the specific reason or reasons leading to the recommendation for termination.
(2) Whenever the trustees of a district receive a recommendation for termination, the trustees shall notify the teacher of the recommendation for termination and of the teacher's right to a hearing on the recommendation. The notification must be delivered by certified letter or by personal notification for which a signed receipt is returned. The notification must include:
(a) the statement of the reason or reasons that led to the recommendation for termination; and
(b) a printed copy of this section for the teacher's information.
(3) The teacher may, in writing, waive the right to a hearing. Unless the teacher waives the right to a hearing, the trustees shall set a hearing date, giving consideration to the convenience of the teacher, not less than 10 days or more than 20 days from receipt of the notice of recommendation for termination.
(4) The trustees shall:
(a) conduct the hearing on the recommendation at a regularly scheduled or special meeting of the board of trustees and in accordance with 2-3-203; and
(b) resolve at the conclusion of the hearing to terminate the teacher or to reject the recommendation for termination.
(5) The tenure teacher may appeal a decision to terminate an employment contract to the county superintendent if the teacher's employment is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement pursuant to Title 39, chapter 31, who may appoint a qualified attorney as a legal adviser who shall assist the superintendent in preparing findings of fact and conclusions of law. If the employment of the teacher is covered by a collective bargaining agreement pursuant to Title 39, chapter 31, a tenure teacher shall appeal a decision to terminate an employment contract to an arbitrator agreed upon by the district and the teacher's exclusive representative. If the exclusive representative has declined to represent the teacher, the teacher or the district may request that the board of personnel appeals provide a list of arbitrators from which the teacher and the district shall, after the toss of a coin to determine the order of striking, alternately strike names from the list until one arbitrator is selected and appointed. By mutual agreement between the parties, the county superintendent of schools may be appointed as the arbitrator.
(6) In a termination involving a teacher whose employment is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement pursuant to Title 39, chapter 31, either the teacher or the trustees may appeal to the district court of the county in which the teacher was employed. The proceedings must be commenced no later than 60 days after the date of the decision of the county superintendent.
(7) In a termination involving a teacher whose employment is covered by a collective bargaining agreement pursuant to Title 39, chapter 31, a request for arbitration must be made within 20 days from the date of termination unless an alternative time period is provided by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.
(8) The decision of the arbitrator is final and binding. Each party shall pay one-half of an arbitrator's charges unless a different cost allocation arrangement is agreed upon by the parties.
(9) An arbitrator may order a school district to reinstate a teacher who has been terminated without good cause and to provide compensation, with interest, to a teacher for lost wages and fringe benefits from the date of termination to the date that the teacher is offered reinstatement to the same or a comparable position. Interim earnings, including the amount that the teacher could have earned with reasonable diligence, must be deducted from the amount awarded for lost wages. Before interim earnings are deducted from lost wages, reasonable amounts spent by a teacher in searching for, obtaining, or relocating to new employment must be deducted from interim earnings.
(10) Except as provided in this section, an arbitrator may not order a school district to provide compensation for punitive damages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, compensatory damages, attorney fees, or any other form of damages.
(11) Upon submission of the termination decision to an arbitrator, the teacher or the teacher's exclusive representative may not file an action against the district for reinstatement or compensation of lost wages and fringe benefits.
(12) As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
(a) "Fringe benefits" means the value of any employer-paid vacation leave, sick leave, medical insurance plan, disability or life insurance plan, or pension benefit in effect on the date of termination.
(b) "Lost wages" means the gross amount of wages that would have been reported to the internal revenue service on form W-2 and includes any compensation deferred at the option of the employee.
History: En. 75-6104 by Sec. 85, Ch. 5, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 157, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 306, L. 1974; R.C.M. 1947, 75-6104; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 521, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 56, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 510, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 438, L. 1997.