Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Labor and Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 2851 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to transfer the authority for the certification of principals and vice-principals from the Department of Education (DOE) to the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board (HTSB).

HTSB and the University of Hawaii submitted testimony in support of the intent of this bill. DOE and the Hawaii Government Employees Association submitted testimony in opposition to this bill.

Your Committees find that while HTSB provides an independent licensing body for public school teachers, standards for school administrators are still determined by their employer, DOE. This represents a conflict of interest for DOE who must balance the need to address a shortage of qualified personnel with the need to establish fair, objective standards for certification. Your Committees further find that allowing HTSB to establish minimum standards for principals and vice-principals will actually broaden DOE's pool of administrators.

Upon further consideration, your Committees have amended this bill by changing the name of HTSB to "Board of Professional Practice in Education" to better reflect that body's new duties.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Labor and Public Employment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2851, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2851, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.