STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1154

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 24

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 24, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to provide additional incentives to public school teachers who maintain their National Board Certification and work at schools that are in restructuring under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Governor's Policy Office, the Department of Education, the University of Hawaii, and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

     Your Committee finds that the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, P.L. 107-110, requires schools to meet certain standards for accountability and provides flexibility and more choices for parents regarding their child's education.  The mandates of the No Child Left Behind law require the recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers to meet the challenging needs of the students.  Your Committee further finds that under existing law, teachers who maintain National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification are provided with a $5,000 bonus annually.  This measure provides an additional bonus to national board certified teachers who also teach in schools that are being restructured under the No Child Left Behind law.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee believes that with the shortage of qualified and licensed teachers throughout the State, further incentives should be provided to more teachers who maintain their certification and demonstrate excellence in teaching or work in other areas or schools presenting unique challenges to the Department of Education.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by increasing the number of teachers eligible for the additional bonus established by this measure by also including public school teachers who maintain their current National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification and work at:

     (1)  Schools with a high turnover rate, as determined by the Department of Education;

     (2)  Schools that are not making adequate yearly progress, but are not in restructuring under the No Child Left Behind Act (Public Law 107-110); or

     (3)  Hard-to-fill schools, as determined by the Department of Education;

provided that an additional bonus shall also be provided to not

more than fifty additional teachers, based upon performance criteria established by the Superintendent of Education.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 24, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 24, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair