Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title XII Chapter 71
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 71, § 59B (2026)

Principals; appointment; compensation; duties; appointment of other personnel

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 59B. The superintendent of a school district shall appoint principals for each public school within the district at levels of compensation determined in accordance with policies established by the school committee. Principals employed under this section shall be the educational administrators and managers of their schools and shall supervise the operation and management of their schools and school property, subject to the supervision and direction of the superintendent. Principals employed under this section shall be responsible, consistent with district personnel policies and budgetary restrictions and subject to the approval of the superintendent, for hiring all teachers, athletic coaches, instructional or administrative aides and other personnel assigned to the school and for terminating all such personnel, subject to review and prior approval by the superintendent and subject to this chapter; provided, however, that the promotion and discipline, up to and including termination, of employees in custodial, maintenance and other non-teaching positions shall be conducted in accordance with any governing collective bargaining agreement. Prior to any assignment to a school of a teacher previously employed in another school in the district including, but not limited to, voluntary transfer, involuntary transfer, reduction in force, and recall, the superintendent shall consult in good faith with the principal concerning the assignment and application of any collectively bargained for selection criteria. In the case of an assignment in connection with the involuntary transfer or recall of a teacher to another school, any collectively bargained for selection criteria shall include the factors set forth in the seventh paragraph of section 42. The principal of any school which requires an examination for student admission shall be solely and exclusively responsible for hiring all teachers, instructional or administrative aides and other personnel and for terminating all such personnel without the requirement of review or prior approval by the superintendent before such hiring or termination. This section shall not prevent a person from serving as the principal of 2 or more elementary schools or the use of teaching principals in such schools.

It shall be the responsibility of the principal in consultation with professional staff of the building to promote participatory decision making among all professional staff for the purpose of developing educational policy.

The school superintendent of a city or town or regional school district including vocational-technical schools, may also appoint administrators and other personnel not assigned to particular schools, at levels of compensation determined in accordance with policies established by the school committee.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 29 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1977–2026 · leading case: Sch. Comm. v. Newton Sch. Custodians Ass'n, 784 N.E.2d 598 (Mass. 2003).
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Sch. Comm. v. Newton Sch. Custodians Ass'n, 784 N.E.2d 598 (Mass. 2003). · cites it 18× “The judge ruled that the arbitrator exceeded the limits of his authority by usurping the rights of the school’s principal under G. L. c. 71, § 59B, to hire all school personnel.”
Sch. Comm. v. United Educators, 784 N.E.2d 11 (Mass. 2003). · cites it 8× “He determined, first, that the matter was arbitrable because (1) it concerned a grievance based on the provision of the agreement concerning involuntary transfers, and (2) the provision was not invalid under G. L. c. 71, § 59B, as amended by the Reform Act, governing the…”
Berkshire Hills Reg'l Sch. Dist. Comm. v. Berkshire Hills Educ. Ass'n, 377 N.E.2d 940 (Mass. 1978). · cites it 3× “5 As noted by the Appeals Court, “[a] principal is charged by G. L. c. 71, § 59B, with the duty to ‘plan, manage, operate and evaluate’ a school’s educational program.”
McDuffy v. Sec'y of the Exec. Off. of Educ., 615 N.E.2d 516 (Mass. 1993). · cites it 2× “71, §§ 59, 59A), principals for each of the schools in the district (G.L. c 71, § 59B), and teachers and aides (G.”
Sch. Comm. v. Local 159, Serv. Employees Int'l Union, 679 N.E.2d 583 (Mass. App. Ct. 1997). · cites it 4× “Although the Superior Court judge determined that the arbitrator had erred in concluding that the committee, rather than the school’s principal and the superintendent, possessed the power to approve the transfer under the Education Reform Act’s amendment of G. L. c. 71, § 59B,…”
Downing v. City of Lowell, 741 N.E.2d 469 (Mass. App. Ct. 2001). · cites it 2× “See G. L. c. 71, § 59B, as appearing in St. 1993, c.”
Ciccarelli v. Sch. Dep't of Lowell, 877 N.E.2d 609 (Mass. App. Ct. 2007). “G. L. c. 71, § 59B, as appearing in St. 1993, c.”
Saxonis v. City of Lynn, 817 N.E.2d 793 (Mass. App. Ct. 2004). “Next, in contrast, Malagrifa was vested by law with the authority, subject to approval by Lynn’s superintendent of schools, to hire Saxonis as Lazaris’s replacement, see G. L. c. 71, § 59B, although he would not have been required to retain her for the ninety-day period…”
Meagher v. Andover Sch. Comm., 94 F. Supp. 3d 21 (D. Mass. 2015). “71, § 42 (“A principal may dismiss or demote any teacher or other person assigned full-time to the school, subject to the review and approval of the superintendent ” (emphasis added)); Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 71, § 59B (“Principals employed under this section shall be responsible,…”
Higher Educ. Coordinating Council v. Massachusetts Teachers' Ass'n, 666 N.E.2d 479 (Mass. 1996). “See G. L. c. 71, § 59B (1994 ed.). Responsibility for hiring or terminating a school superintendent lies with the school committee, which retains the authority to “establish educational goals and policies for the schools in the district.”
Lemire v. Silva, 104 F. Supp. 2d 80 (D. Mass. 2000). “” M.G.L. c. 71 § 59B (1996). No requirement exists that a contract be put in writing in order for it to become valid.”
Sch. Comm. of Peabody v. Peabody Fed'n of Teachers, Local 1289, 748 N.E.2d 992 (Mass. App. Ct. 2001). · cites it 2× “This decision is not to be interpreted as invalidating collective bargaining provisions that establish procedures for applying for transfers and filling vacancies that do not encroach upon the powers to approve or disapprove reserved to principals and superintendents by G. L. c.…”
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