RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, it is the role of professional educators to be energetic, enthusiastic, and to encourage students to be "the best that they can be" because Hawaii's teachers are the guardians of our State's most precious asset--the immeasurable potential of our youth; and

WHEREAS, in an ever-changing and complex world, it is imperative that educators continually strive to improve their knowledge and teaching skills to expand the realm of the educational experiences they are able to offer today's youth; and

WHEREAS, with a larger emphasis being placed on standards-based education and the requirements of educators to plan and prepare for activities related to the Felix Consent Decree, it appears that educators face ever-increasing burdens as teachers in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, in July of 2003, the State of Hawaii Board of Education and the Hawaii State Teacher's Association agreed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to set aside four days per instructional year to alleviate some of the additional burdens that have been placed on educators; and

WHEREAS, these teacher professional days were taken from student instructional days and are often used to conduct workshops, host informational panels, and hold working groups on issues dealing with the Felix Consent Decree; and

WHEREAS, according to the MOU, "How the days will be used and when they will be scheduled shall be determined through an open, democratic, and collaborative process between the school's leadership group and the administrators"; and

WHEREAS, teacher professional days are taken out of student instructional days and the effectiveness and worth of having these professional days versus having regular student instructional days has been called into question; and

WHEREAS, it is essential that the effectiveness of these teacher professional days be reviewed and measured to ensure that they are being used in accordance with their original purpose and intent; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the Senate concurring, that the Auditor is requested to:

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to report any findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2006; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, Superintendent of the Department of Education, President of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and Chair of the Board of Education.

Report Title:

Requesting the auditor to review the use of and educational value of teacher professional days.