Arizona Revised Statutes Title 15. Education § 15-538.01. Offer of contract to continuing teacher; definition

A. On or after March 15 of each year, the governing board shall offer to each continuing teacher a contract renewal for the next ensuing school year unless the governing board, a member of the governing board acting on behalf of the governing board or the superintendent of the school district gives notice to the teacher of the governing board's intent not to offer a contract and to dismiss the teacher as provided in § 15-539.

B. The teacher's acceptance of the contract must be indicated within fifteen business days after the date of the teacher's receipt of the written contract or the offer of a contract is revoked. Receipt under this subsection will be deemed to have occurred when the written contract is personally delivered or placed in the teacher's school provided mailbox, including email, or two days after being placed in a United States postal service mailbox. The teacher accepts the contract by signing the contract and returning it to the governing board or by making a written instrument that accepts the terms of the contract and delivering it to the governing board. If the written instrument includes terms in addition to the terms of the contract offered by the governing board, the teacher fails to accept the contract.

C. A certificated teacher who is currently a continuing teacher but who has been designated after an evaluation conducted according to the requirements pursuant to § 15-537 in the lowest performance classification for the current school year shall become a probationary teacher as defined in § 15-536 for the subsequent school year and shall remain a probationary teacher until that teacher's performance classification is designated in either of the two highest performance classifications.

D. For the purposes of this section, “continuing teacher” means a certificated teacher who has been and is currently employed by the school district for the major portion of three consecutive school years and who has not been designated in the lowest performance classification for the previous school year or who has not regained continuing status after being designated as a probationary teacher pursuant to subsection C of this section.