Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Higher Education and Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1216, S.D. 2, entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to establish the Hawaii Educator Loan Program (Program) and a special fund to be administered by the University of Hawaii (UH).

The Program would allow UH to make loans to financially needy students who complete a teacher education program approved by the Department of Education (DOE) and who agree to teach in Hawaii's public schools.

The Office of the Lieutenant Governor, UH, DOE, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and an individual submitted testimony in support of this bill. The Department of Budget and Finance submitted testimony in opposition to this bill.

Your Committees find that this bill will create financial incentives for education students to pursue a teaching career in the Hawaii public school system. With the current teacher shortage, Hawaii needs a more consistent teacher pipeline. This bill will encourage more students to pursue teaching and more graduates of the UH teacher education program to remain in Hawaii.

Your Committees have amended this bill by clarifying that loan recipients must be enrolled in state-approved teacher education programs rather than DOE-approved programs. This amendment was made because the responsibility for approving such programs may soon no longer reside with DOE.

Other technical, nonsubstantive amendments have been made for style and clarity.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1216, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1216, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.