Arizona Revised Statutes

Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-501 (2026)

Definitions

✓ current as of May 2026

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In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "Administrator" means any school district administrator except a school principal who devotes at least fifty percent of the principal's time to classroom teaching.

2. "Certificated teacher" means a person who holds a certificate from the state board of education to work in the schools of this state and who is employed under contract in a school district in a position that requires certification except a psychologist or an administrator who devotes at least fifty percent of the person's time to classroom teaching.

3. "Full-time" means to be employed for a full school day, or its equivalent, or for a full class load, or its equivalent, as determined by the governing board.

4. "Governing board" means the governing board of a school district or a county school superintendent in the case of accommodation schools located in such a county.

5. "Inadequacy of classroom performance" means the definition of inadequacy classroom performance adopted by the governing board pursuant to section 15-538.

6. "Major portion of a school year" means full-time employment for fifty-one percent of the school days during which school is in session, except that a certificated teacher is not deemed to have completed the major portion of the third school year of three consecutive years of employment until the end of the third school year.

7. "Performance classifications" means the performance classifications adopted by the governing board.

8. "Qualified evaluator" means a school principal or other person who is trained to evaluate teachers and who is designated by the governing board to evaluate the school district's certificated teachers.

9. "Superintendent" means the superintendent of schools of a school district.

10. "Suspension without pay" means suspension without pay for a period of time not to exceed ten school days.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 23 cases, 1960–2014 · leading case: Neary v. Frantz, 685 P.2d 1323 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1984).

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Neary v. Frantz, 685 P.2d 1323 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1984). · cites it 59× “Neary argues that the trial court erred by: (1) finding that he was not a continuing teacher as defined in A.R.S. § 15-501; (2) excluding evidence of alleged infringement of constitutional rights, and (3) granting a motion to dismiss without permitting him an opportunity to…”

Sult v. O'brien, 488 P.2d 1021 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1971). · cites it 26× “Pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-501 as amended, the Board of Trustees of Kenilworth Elementary School District and Coolidge Elementary School District united in a petition to the county school superintendent for the establishment of a high school.”

Hale v. Amphitheater Sch. Dist. No. 10, 961 P.2d 1059 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1998). · cites it 2× “Subject to the provisions of §§ 15-539, 15-540, 15-541, 15-544 and 15-549, the governing board shall, between March 15 and May 15, offer a teaching contract for the next ensuing school year to each certificated teacher who has not been employed by the school district for more…”

Paczosa v. Cartwright Elementary Sch. Dist. No. 83, 213 P.3d 222 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2009). · cites it 3× “”) § 15-501(1) (2009). Before *75 becoming an administrator, Paczosa served as a tenured teacher in the District.”

Reeves v. Barlow, 251 P.3d 417 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 2× “§ 15-901(B)(5) (defining "certified teacher” as a person who is "certified as a teacher pursuant to the rules adopted by the state board of education”); see also A.R.S. § 15-501(2) (defining a "certificated teacher” as a "person who holds a certificate from the state board of…”

Fulton v. Dysart Unified Sch. Dist. No. 89, 651 P.2d 369 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1982). · cites it 2× “A.R.S. § 15-501(A)(2) “ ‘Continuing teacher’ means a certificated teacher who is employed under contract in a school district as a full-time classroom teacher, a full-time classroom teacher employed under contract in an accommodation school, a school principal devoting not less…”

Wheeler v. Yuma Sch. Dist. No. One, 750 P.2d 860 (Ariz. 1988). · cites it 2× “” The ninety-day preliminary notice statutes are part of the Teachers’ Tenure Act, now codified at A.R.S. §§ 15-501 to -550 (the “Act”). See Bower v.”

King v. Henderson, 423 P.2d 370 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1967). · cites it 10× “Prior to 1960, there was a provision in our Educational Act for the withdrawal of a school district from a union high school district, A.R.S. § 15-501, subsec. D. 2 The requirements of this subsection were not complied with by the petitioning common school district, and it is…”

Wallace v. Casa Grande Union High Sch. Dist. No. 82, 909 P.2d 486 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1995). · cites it 2× “Because plaintiff was a certificated teacher for the 1990-91 school year within the meaning of A.R.S. § 15-501(2), and because she was employed by the District for more than three consecutive years, she contends that the District was prohibited from reducing her salary for the…”

Siglin v. Kayenta Unified Sch. Dist. No. 27, 655 P.2d 353 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1982). · cites it 2× “A.R.S. § 15-501(A)(2) provides: “Continuing teacher” means a certificated teacher who is employed under contract in a school district as a full-time classroom teacher, a full-time classroom teacher employed under contract in an accommodation school, a school principal devoting…”

Garrett v. Folsom, 357 P.2d 130 (Ariz. 1960). · cites it 8× “A.R.S. § 15-501 authorizes two or more adjoining school districts having an average daily attendance of not less than 200 pupils, or an assessed valuation of not less than $1,500,000 to form a union high school district.”

Bower v. Arizona State Sch. for the Deaf & the Blind, 704 P.2d 809 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1984). · cites it 4× “If the legislature intended that tenure policy to apply to ASDB teachers, it could have done so.”

Show all 23 citing cases →

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-501(1) — 2 cases

Paczosa v. Cartwright Elementary Sch. Dist. No. 83, 213 P.3d 222 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2009). “”) § 15-501(1) (2009). Before *75 becoming an administrator, Paczosa served as a tenured teacher in the District.”

Mohr v. Murphy Elementary (Ariz. Ct. App. 2014).

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-501(2) — 4 cases

Reeves v. Barlow, 251 P.3d 417 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2011). “§ 15-901(B)(5) (defining "certified teacher” as a person who is "certified as a teacher pursuant to the rules adopted by the state board of education”); see also A.R.S. § 15-501(2) (defining a "certificated teacher” as a "person who holds a certificate from the state board of…”

Wallace v. Casa Grande Union High Sch. Dist. No. 82, 909 P.2d 486 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1995). “Because plaintiff was a certificated teacher for the 1990-91 school year within the meaning of A.R.S. § 15-501(2), and because she was employed by the District for more than three consecutive years, she contends that the District was prohibited from reducing her salary for the…”

Wallace v. Casa Grande Sc. Bd. of Gov., 909 P.2d 486 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1995).

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-501(9) — 1 case

Mohr v. Murphy Elementary (Ariz. Ct. App. 2014).

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-501(A) — 1 case

Britt v. Red Mesa Unified Sch. Dist. No. 27, 748 P.2d 1195 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1986).

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-501(A)(1) — 1 case

Neary v. Frantz, 685 P.2d 1323 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1984). “Neary argues that the trial court erred by: (1) finding that he was not a continuing teacher as defined in A.R.S. § 15-501; (2) excluding evidence of alleged infringement of constitutional rights, and (3) granting a motion to dismiss without permitting him an opportunity to…”

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-501(A)(2) — 4 cases

Fulton v. Dysart Unified Sch. Dist. No. 89, 651 P.2d 369 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1982). “A.R.S. § 15-501(A)(2) “ ‘Continuing teacher’ means a certificated teacher who is employed under contract in a school district as a full-time classroom teacher, a full-time classroom teacher employed under contract in an accommodation school, a school principal devoting not less…”

Siglin v. Kayenta Unified Sch. Dist. No. 27, 655 P.2d 353 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1982). “A.R.S. § 15-501(A)(2) provides: “Continuing teacher” means a certificated teacher who is employed under contract in a school district as a full-time classroom teacher, a full-time classroom teacher employed under contract in an accommodation school, a school principal devoting…”

Prichard v. Bd. of Educ., 705 P.2d 473 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1985).

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-501(A)(3) — 7 cases

Wolfe v. Sierra Vista Unified Sch. Dist. No. 68, 722 P.2d 389 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1986).

Prichard v. Bd. of Educ., 705 P.2d 473 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1985).

Hillhouse v. Rice Sch. Dist. No. 20, 727 P.2d 843 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1986).

Walker v. Sierra Vista Unified Sch. Dist. No. 68, 712 P.2d 451 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1985).

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-501(A)(6) — 1 case

Britt v. Red Mesa Unified Sch. Dist. No. 27, 748 P.2d 1202 (Ariz. 1987).

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15-501(B) — 1 case

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