Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 3112, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow the Department of Education to hire professionals as exceptional teachers.

The bill also authorizes alternatives to teacher licensing based on performance-based standards equivalent with professional experience.

Your Committee finds that the State faces a critical shortage of teachers to staff its classrooms. By allowing professionals to work as exceptional teachers, the State taps into a very capable and abundant resource of Hawaii's people, many of whom desire to give back to the community by educating our youth.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to promote further discussion and development on this measure. Technical, nonsubstantive amendments have also been made for the purposes of clarity and uniformity.

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 S.B. No. 3112, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3112, S.D. 2.