Report Title:

Teachers; Reciprocal Hires; Alternative Teacher Licensing

Description:

Allows the department of education to hire individuals with a license from another state and teaching experience as reciprocal hires and to authorize alternative licensing routes based on performance-based standards and giving credit toward licensing for prior teaching experience in public schools outside of Hawaii and at accredited private schools, colleges, or universities.

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

1068

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

  

STATE OF HAWAII

  

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to teachers.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Although Hawaii is part of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification and has some reciprocity with other states for teachers, barriers remain for teachers licensed in another state who move to Hawaii to teach.

Under the Hawaii teachers' standards board, requirements have been imposed that may serve as barriers to becoming a public school teacher. While the legislature supports high standards for teachers, those standards can be met through alternative licensing qualifications that are not prohibitive to qualified individuals seeking to teach in Hawaii.

The legislature finds that Hawaii can significantly reduce the teacher "shortage" by eliminating the unnecessary barriers to teaching.

The purpose of this Act is to remove unnecessary barriers for persons licensed to teach in other states who move to Hawaii to teach by:

(1) Allowing the department of education to:

(A) Hire, as reciprocal hires, persons licensed in another state; and

(B) Authorize alternative licensing routes based on performance-based standards commensurate with professional experience in, or utilizing the skills of, the subject area or program to be taught; and

(2) Allotting credit toward licensing for prior teaching experience in public schools in another state or at accredited private schools, colleges, or universities.

SECTION 2. Section 302A-501, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

"(b) For the purposes of subpart D:

"Board" means the Hawaii teacher standards board.

"Emergency hire" means an unlicensed employee of the department paid under the salary schedule contained in the unit 5 collective bargaining agreement.

"License" means the document signifying the board's grant of permission to practice the profession of teaching.

"Reciprocal hire" means an employee of the department paid under the salary schedule contained in the unit 5 collective bargaining agreement who has a teaching license from another state.

"Teacher" means a licensed employee of the department paid under the salary schedule contained in the unit 5 collective bargaining agreement."

SECTION 3. Section 302A-602, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:

"(c) [Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, the] The department may employ unlicensed individuals as emergency hires or as reciprocal hires pursuant to sections 302A-801 to 302A-808[.]; provided that all reciprocal hires shall have:

(1) A college degree from a college or university accredited by an accrediting agency or organization listed with the United States Secretary of Education, in a subject that is appropriate to the subject area or program in which they will be teaching in the department;

(2) A license from another state; and

(3) Adequate professional experience in, or utilizing the skills of, the subject area or program in which they will be teaching, as determined by the department."

SECTION 4. Section 302A-603, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:

"(d) [Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, emergency] Emergency hires and reciprocal hires shall not be subject to this penalty."

SECTION 5. Section 302A-802, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

"(b) In the development of its standards, the board shall consider the existing teacher applicant pool that is available in the State and the level of the qualification of these applicants, as well as the nature and availability of existing preservice higher education teacher training programs. The board shall also [consider] authorize alternative routes to licensing, such as national teacher examinations that certify competency in subject areas or programs taught in the public schools[.], that include:

(1) Performance-based standards commensurate with professional experience in, or utilizing skills of, the subject area or program to be taught; and

(2) Allotting credit toward licensing for prior teaching experience in public schools outside of Hawaii and at accredited private schools, colleges, or universities."

SECTION 6. Section 302A-804, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§302A-804 Powers and duties of the department. The department shall retain all of its rights and powers except for the authority provided to the board under this subpart. The department's powers and duties under this subpart shall be limited to:

(1) Hiring, except in emergency and reciprocal situations as described in this chapter, licensed teachers to teach in their fields of licensing;

(2) Reporting data annually to the board about the supply of, and demand for, teachers, including the identification of shortage areas, out-of-field teaching assignments, numbers of teachers teaching out-of-field, numbers and types of courses and classes taught by out-of-field teachers, and numbers and types of students taught by out-of-field teachers;

(3) On an emergency and case-by-case basis, hiring unlicensed individuals; provided that:

(A) A list of the names, work sites, teaching assignments, and progress toward licensing of these individuals shall be reported to the board and any changes shall be updated on a monthly basis by the department;

(B) There are no properly licensed teachers for the specific assignments for which the individuals are being hired; and

(C) No individual may be employed by the department on an emergency basis for more than four years. During this time the individual must demonstrate active pursuit of licensing in each year of employment;

(4) On a reciprocal and case-by-case basis, hiring individuals who do not have a Hawaii teaching license; provided that:

(A) A list of the names, work sites, and teaching assignments of these individuals shall be reported to the board and any changes shall be updated on a monthly basis by the department; and

(B) The individual completes a department-approved teacher training program for reciprocal hires; and

[(4)] (5) Submitting an annual report to the board documenting:

(A) The number of emergency hires and reciprocal hires by subject matter areas and by schools;

(B) The reasons and duration of employment for the emergency and reciprocal hiring enumerated in subparagraph (A);

(C) Individual progress toward licensing; and

(D) The department's efforts to address the shortages described in subparagraph (A); and

[(5)] (6) Providing any other information requested by the board that is pertinent to its powers and duties."

SECTION 7. Section 302A-805, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§302A-805 Teachers; license required; renewals. [Beginning July 1, 2002, all] All new licenses shall be issued by the board. No person shall serve as a half-time or full-time teacher in a public school without first having obtained a license from the board under this subpart. All licenses issued by the board shall be valid only for the fields specified on the licenses and shall be renewable every five years if the individual continues to:

(1) Satisfy the board's licensing standards;

[(2) Show evidence of successful teaching in the previous five years;] and

[(3)] (2) Satisfy the board's requirements for renewal of licenses.

Teachers whose licenses expire on June 30, 2002, or June 30, 2003, shall be granted an automatic extension of two years. No person shall be issued a license or teach either on an emergency basis or reciprocal basis in the public schools without having first paid the fees established by the board in accordance with chapter 91."

SECTION 8. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 9. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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