Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Military Affairs and Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 844, H.D. 1, entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify that each school community council shall approve a school's academic plans and recommend those plans for approval by the complex area superintendent.

Your Committees find that the State is experiencing a teacher shortage. As effective teaching is of high importance in the development of a successful education system, your Committees replaced the contents of this measure with S.B. 1642, S.D. 1 and held a hearing on the proposed senate draft. The proposed senate draft contained language that implements various programs and amendments to encourage teacher retention and recruitment and appropriates funds.

Testimony in support of the proposed measure was submitted by the Department of Education, University of Hawaii, and Hawaii State Teachers Association. Comments were submitted by the Department of Budget and Finance, Department of Taxation, Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, Tax Foundation of Hawaii, and two individuals.

As new federal mandates require states to achieve certain educational goals, without proper staffing of instructors, the State will certainly fall behind in meeting the national standards. Your Committees found that many of the proposed initiatives were received with supportive testimony and creative suggested amendments. Thus, your Committees believe that the contents of the proposed measure represents a step in the right direction to assist in the control of the teacher shortage crisis.

Your Committees have added the following amendments suggested in the testimony to the proposed measure:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Military Affairs and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 844, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 844, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.