STAND. COM. REP. NO. 391-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2763
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No.
2763 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR TEACHER
     EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to increase the qualified pool
of teachers on Kauai in shortage areas, such as special
education, mathematics, science, and counselor education by:

     (1)  Offering teacher education and graduate level outreach
          programs to the island's residents; and

     (2)  Allowing the University of Hawaii to offer a teacher
          certification program on Kauai. 

     The Department of Education (DOE) submitted testimony in
support of this bill.  The University of Hawaii submitted
testimony in support of the intent of this bill.

     The DOE testified that as a result of shortage of teachers
in certain critical fields, DOE has had to recruit teacher
candidates on the mainland.  However, out-of-state recruitment
has been very difficult because other school districts are able
to offer monetary incentives that far exceed what the DOE is able
to offer.  In addition, approximately 26 percent to 47 percent of
the mainland teachers hired in critical shortage areas left at
the end of their first year.  Although some teachers left because

 
 
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of the high cost of living, some teachers had difficulty
adjusting to the working conditions or local cultural values and
traditions.  However, the attrition rates for teachers hired from
our local universities have been less than 10 percent.    

     Your Committee has amended this bill by making technical,
nonsubstantive changes for purposes of style and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
2763, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2763, H.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Education,



                                   ______________________________
                                   KEN ITO, Chair