Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2653 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require that one member of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board come from a non-teaching background, and to allow the Department of Education to consider hiring persons with bachelor's degrees to teach in the subject areas in which they have a degree.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Governor's office. Comments in opposition to section one of this measure were received from the Department of Education, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

Your Committee finds that maintaining the highest possible teacher standards and supporting newly hired teachers is of great importance to the community at large.

Your Committee has amended this measure by increasing the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board membership from thirteen to fourteen, and by restoring the board's teacher membership allocation to its original six members.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2653, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2653, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.