Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 418, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an appropriation for the University of Hawaii for additional instructional faculty positions in its College of Education to provide additional teacher preparation and training.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii is suffering from an acute shortage of qualified teachers in the Department of Education school system. Further, the University of Hawaii College of Education does not have the capacity to help the Department of Education meet its ongoing needs. Of the 1,552 new teachers hired in 2001-2002, only thirty-two per cent came from the University of Hawaii.

Presently, due to a lack of faculty positions, the College of Education turns away students in elementary education and in its Masters of Education in Teaching Program. The University needs to immediately enhance its capacity to produce more qualified teachers for Hawaii's educational system. This measure will increase the instructional faculty positions within the University's College of Education to provide for much needed teacher preparation and training programs.

Your Committee has amended this bill by changing the effective date to facilitate further discussion on this measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 418, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 418, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.