PROBATIONARY CONTRACT: TERMINATION.

(a) The board of trustees of a school district may terminate the employment of a teacher employed under a probationary contract at the end of the contract period if in the board's judgment the best interests of the district will be served by terminating the employment. The board of trustees must give notice of its decision to terminate the employment to the teacher not later than the 10th day before the last day of instruction required under the contract. The notice must be delivered personally by hand delivery to the teacher on the campus at which the teacher is employed, except that if the teacher is not present on the campus on the date that hand delivery is attempted, the notice must be mailed by prepaid certified mail or delivered by express delivery service to the teacher's address of record with the district. Notice that is postmarked on or before the 10th day before the last day of instruction is considered timely given under this subsection. The board's decision is final and may not be appealed.

(b) If the board of trustees fails to give the notice of its decision to terminate the teacher's employment within the time prescribed by Subsection (a), the board must employ the probationary teacher in the same capacity under:

(1) a probationary contract for the following school year, if the teacher has been employed by the district under a probationary contract for less than three consecutive school years; or

(2) a continuing or term contract, according to district policy, if the teacher has been employed by the district under a probationary contract for three consecutive school years.