(a) When a school district hires a principal or a career technical center director who has not been employed previously in that capacity, the superintendent serving the district, in consultation with the Vermont Principals' Association, shall work to ensure that the new principal or technical center director receives mentoring supports during at least the first two years of employment. Mentoring supports shall be consistent with best practices, research-based approaches, or other successful models, and shall be identified jointly by the Vermont Principals' Association and the Vermont Superintendents Association.

(b) When a school district hires a principal or career technical center director identified in subsection (a) of this section, the district shall allocate sufficient funds annually in the first two years of employment toward the cost of providing the mentoring supports from one or more of the following sources:

(c) This section shall not be interpreted to prohibit or discourage a superintendent from working to ensure that any administrator other than those identified in subsection (a) of this section receives mentoring supports. (Added 2011, No. 20, § 1, eff. May 11, 2011; amended 2013, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 302, eff. Feb. 14, 2014.)