STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 588

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1642

S.D. 1

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 S.B. No. 1642 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHERS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to implement various programs to encourage teacher retention and recruitment.

Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education, Department of Budget and Finance, University of Hawaii, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and an individual. The Department of Taxation and Hawaii Government Employees Association submitted comments.

Your Committees find that effective teaching is of high importance in the development of a successful educational system. Unfortunately, the State has been experiencing a teacher shortage. There are many reasons for this situation and there is no single answer to address this problem. However, it is clear that the State must recruit more people to the profession, prepare them well, assist with their matriculation during the first few years, provide on-going professional development, and most importantly, provide attractive compensation and working conditions to attract the best and brightest candidates.

Several commendable ideas were discussed during your Committee's hearing, from tax incentives to amending teacher licensing requirements. Therefore, your Committees have amended this measure to include additional provisions that would encourage teacher recruitment and retention. Among other amendments, the following provisions have been added to this measure:

(1) An educator loan forgiveness program;

(2) A statewide teacher induction program;

(3) A comparability study of teacher tests in other key states;

(4) Preparations for a package of incentives by the department, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and other effected businesses or individuals;

(5) An action plan for teacher retention;

(6) Appropriations for the following:

(a) Teacher cadet program;

(b) Various faculty positions in the University of Hawaii system;

(d) The comparability study;

(e) Positions at the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board;

(f) Professional development schools; and

(g) Financial incentives; and

(7) Technical, substantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

Furthermore, your Committees find that there are many policies and practices that are important to teachers but not consistently practiced. Thus your Committees urge further review and discussion, between all affected parties, of the following:

(1) Providing time in the school schedule for teachers to work collaboratively;

(2) Including teachers in the decision making processes at their schools;

(3) Giving teachers time, opportunity, and expectations to develop their leadership capacity;

(4) Communicating the administration's expectations for teacher performance;

(5) Providing teachers with opportunities for new roles and responsibilities; and

(6) Being open to discussing job-related issues with teachers.

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 S.B. No. 1642, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1642, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Military Affairs and Labor,

____________________________ BRIAN KANNO, Chair		____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair