(1) The school principal shall:

(a) be licensed in accordance with state statutes and Board of Public Education rules;

(b) be considered appropriately assigned if the principal is enrolled in a Board of Public Education approved administrator/principal internship program as defined below:

(i) the intern must be enrolled in an approved administrator/principal training program within the state of Montana;

(ii) the intern must file an application with the Board of Public Education prior to placement within a school district in the state of Montana;

(iii) at each assigned school, the intern must annually receive an on-site visit by an appointed faculty member of the approved internship program;

(iv) at each assigned school, the intern shall receive an appropriate level of supervision by a properly licensed and endorsed administrator hired by the district. Such supervision shall include participation in, review of, and written concurrence in all performance evaluations of licensed staff completed by the intern. In cases where the intern is the only administrator hired by the district, the district shall contract with a properly licensed and endorsed administrator for annual and periodic supervision of the practice of the intern throughout the school year.

(c) have a license endorsed at the level assigned as a principal, except where one individual serves as the single administrator for the entire district under ARM 10.55.705(1) (a) or (b) , where the superintendent may hold either a high school or elementary principal endorsement. No individual may be assigned a total of more than 100% full-time equivalent (FTE) ;

(d) consider ways to:

(i) provide instructional leadership;

(ii) exercise vision in defining and accomplishing the school's mission;

(iii) encourage teachers to have high expectations for student achievement;

(iv) stress the importance of parents' and students' roles in academic success;

(e) involve staff and others in decision making and in setting, accomplishing, and assessing educational goals;

(f) carry out the district's policies and procedures;

(g) be responsible for the effective day-to-day operation of the school, including the management of finances, materials, and human resources.