Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2205 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide additional compensation to educational officers with advanced degrees.

The Department of Education, Hawaii Government Employees Association, and an individual testified in support of this measure.

Currently, the salary schedule for educational officers, unlike the salary schedule for teachers, does not take into consideration advanced degrees earned. Therefore, educational officers, including school principals, who undertake advanced studies that enable them to better serve Hawaii's public school students, are not compensated for furthering their skills and training.

This measure authorizes the appropriation of funds to provide additional compensation to educational officers who have earned master's or doctoral degrees in teaching, public education, or in fields related to their job duties. The cost of providing this additional compensation for fiscal year 2002-2003 is estimated at $900,000.

Your Committee finds that increasing the salary schedule for educational officers with advanced degrees will encourage professional growth and improve the quality of leadership in our public schools. Your Committee further finds that this measure will enable the Department of Education to recruit and retain qualified individuals as school principals at a time when the department faces a critical principal shortage.

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 S.B. No. 2205 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.