STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2450

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2831
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education and Technology, to which was
referred S.B. No. 2831 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII TEACHER STANDARDS
     BOARD,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to allow the Hawaii Teachers
Standards Board to extend a teacher's credentials to teach beyond
the existing three year time limit.

     The measure also restricts this credential extension
authority to a maximum of two, one-year extensions per teacher.

     Testimony in support of the measure was received from the
Department of Education, Pearl Ridge Elementary School, OASIS,
and forty individuals.  Testimony in opposition to the measure
was received from HSTA.  Comments on the measure were provided by
Hawaii Teacher Standards Board.

     Your Committee finds that currently, teachers hired under a
credential are generally in shortage fields or in geographic
areas that are difficult to fill.  The extension of time to
obtain their credentials is critical because these teachers have
to complete their teacher education programs and competency test
requirements while on-the-job.

     Your Committee agrees that this measure will support the
intent of Act 240, Session Laws Hawaii 1995, which is "to provide

 
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every child in Hawaii with a teacher who is qualified to practice
the profession of teaching . . . and to establish public
confidence in the teaching profession."  The measure will have a
positive impact on the Department of Education because teachers
hired under a credential would be allowed, on a case-by-case
basis, to obtain a waiver by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board
to complete the requirements for licensure while continuing to
demonstrate satisfactory on-the-job performance.  Replacing these
individuals during this period of critical teacher shortages will
be difficult and may negatively impact student learning because
of the disruptions that might occur in their learning process.

     Your Committee has amended the measure by adding as a
condition precedent to obtaining a credential extension, that the
teacher be "actively pursuing and satisfactorily progressing in
the pursuit of obtaining a license" to teach in the State of
Hawaii.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Education and Technology that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 2831, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2831,
S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

 
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