Establishes annual increment salary increases for teachers and creates a comprehensive evaluation process for teachers.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that staff evaluation and teacher improvement are essential to ensure quality education. The primary responsibility of any teacher evaluation program should be to improve student learning by assisting teachers and staff to improve their skills. The legislature also recognizes that educational improvement is best assured when evaluation is viewed as a mutual and positive responsibility. Evaluations must also be concluded by the end of each school year to provide certainty for employees and administrators. Those teachers who receive negative evaluations may be provided with a new position outside of their school but within department schools.

The legislature further finds that teachers who receive positive evaluations should be rewarded with salary increases commensurate with their higher quality of skills, which enhance the educational system. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure that accomplished teachers who have reached their maximum increment or longevity step be rewarded salary increases for their positive evaluations.

The purpose of the Act is to establish salary increases for teachers based on their performance and create a comprehensive evaluation process for teachers.

SECTION 2. Section 302A-626, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§302A-626 Salary increases; annual[, longevity.]; performance. (a) Teachers [and educational officers] who have completed a year's satisfactory service and who have complied with the other requirements of sections 302A-602 to 302A-640, and 302A-701, shall be entitled to an annual increment[.] of 3.14 per cent of their annual salary.

(b) Teachers [and educational officers] who have [served satisfactorily for three years in their maximum increment step or in any longevity step and who have complied] accomplished the following:

shall receive [longevity] performance step increases[;] of 3.14 per cent of their annual salary; provided that the board may grant principals and vice-principals [longevity] performance step increases more frequently than once every three years pursuant to section 302A-625."

SECTION 3. Section 302A-638, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§302A-638[]] Evaluation of teachers [and educational officers]. (a) The department shall establish [an evaluation program] a comprehensive evaluation process for all teachers [and educational officers]. The evaluation shall be performed at least [once] twice in each school year. The program shall define the criteria for evaluation and assign responsibilities for the application of the criteria. The evaluation of a teacher [or educational officer] shall be on the basis of efficiency, ability, and such other criteria as the department shall determine.

(b) The department shall establish evaluation procedures that are based upon the goal of improving the teacher/learning process through the enrichment of professional staff development and to assist in the success of their teaching assignment.

(c) In developing the comprehensive evaluation process for teachers, the department shall consider the following:

(d) The comprehensive evaluation process shall include a conference between the evaluator and teacher at a reasonable time following the completion of the evaluator's observation of the teacher and evaluation.

(e) The department shall establish evaluation indicators and standards to assist the evaluator in their determination of the teacher's performance.

(f) The department shall establish a three person teacher advisory team to be composed of the following:

The teacher advisory team shall work with the principal and the teacher, following a negative evaluation, to address possible improvements or to locate a suitable position for the teacher's abilities."

SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.