Provides incentives to keep exemplary principals and vice-principals (VPs) at the school level; encourage exemplary principals and VPs to accept long-term assignments to hard-to-staff schools, special needs schools, and schools with high teacher turnover; encourage exemplary teachers to become VPs. (CD1)

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new sections to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§302A-   Educational officers, salary incentives. (a) The salary ranges for principal and vice-principal positions shall be determined by the board, based on the position classification/compensation plan approved by the board and salary incentives designed to:

(b) The department shall develop a definition of "exemplary" in consultation with the appropriate collective bargaining representative.

Salary ranges and salary incentives for educational officer positions shall be subject to the requirements of sections 302A-625 and 302A-626.

§302A-   Tuition assistance for exemplary teachers to attend the University of Hawaii. (a) The superintendent, subject to the availability of funds, may award tuition assistance to exemplary teachers who want to become vice-principals in Hawaii's public schools, and who are:

(b) The superintendent shall adopt rules in accordance with chapter 91 to carry out the purposes of this section. The rules shall include:

(c) Chapters 42F, 103D, and 103F shall not apply to this section."

SECTION 2. Section 302A-605, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§302A-605 Principals and vice-principals. Principals [and vice-principals] shall meet the department's certification requirements and shall have [served as a teacher for a period of not less than five years.] not less than five years of appropriate school-level experience of which at least three have been as a teacher. Vice-principals shall meet the department's certification requirements and shall have appropriate school-level experience as determined by the department."

SECTION 3. Section 302A-625, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§302A-625[]] Educational officers' salary schedules. [(a)] The salary schedule for all educational officers of the department shall be negotiated pursuant to section 89-9.

[(b) Any principal, vice principal, or other educational officer on a ten-month work year must earn at least six credits within a three-year cycle in order to receive an increment or longevity step increase in the third year of the three-year cycle.]"

SECTION 4. Section 302A-626, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

"(b) Teachers and educational officers who have served satisfactorily for three years in their maximum increment step or in any longevity step and who have complied with the other requirements of sections 302A-602 to 302A-640, and 302A-701, shall receive longevity step increases[.]; provided that the board may grant principals and vice-principals longevity step increases more frequently than once every three years pursuant to section 302A-625."

SECTION 5. Section 302A-631, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§302A-631[]] Educational [officer] officers with special assignments[.]; principals and vice-principals at special needs schools. (a) Educational officers at the state, district, and school levels with special assignments, where their duties and responsibilities are greater than the duties and responsibilities falling within the scope of their ordinary duties and responsibilities, shall be provided additional benefits by the department.

(b) Principals and vice-principals at special needs schools shall be provided additional benefits by the department pursuant to section 302A-625. As used in this subsection, "special needs schools" means those schools having a relatively large proportion of students exhibiting low performance, as indicated by such factors as low standardized achievement test scores, a high retention rate, and a low graduation rate for the area."

SECTION 6. Section 302A-701, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§302A-701[]] Incentive packages for quality teachers[.], principals, and vice-principals. Teachers, principals, and vice-principals in the public school system may accept incentive packages provided by local communities for the purpose of retaining those teachers, principals, and vice-principals in schools with high teacher, principal, or vice-principal turnover. Packages may include such items as:

SECTION 7. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $200,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001-2002 and the sum of $200,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2002-2003 for the purposes of this Act.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 8. If any provision of this Act, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the Act, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this Act are severable.

SECTION 9. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 10. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2001.