STAND. COM. REP. NO. 521

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1155

       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 S.B. No. 1155 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to address the teacher shortage problem in the State.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii State Teachers Association.  Comments on the measure were also submitted by the Department of Education.

     Your Committee finds that a teacher shortage problem continues to plague our State.  Your Committee further finds that the problem will only continue to worsen with the aging and retirement of the baby-boomer teachers.  High-quality teachers are instrumental in providing for high student achievement.  Therefore, increased efforts are needed to help to grow a teaching workforce.  In 2005, the Legislature established the Hawaii Teacher Cadet Program to identify, support, and encourage prospective teachers while they are still in high school.  Your Committee believes that continued efforts to provide incentives and support persons pursuing a teaching career will help to address the teacher shortage problem and ensure high quality education for our children.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting portions of the purpose section to clarify the intent of the measure to provide funding for the Hawaii Teacher Cadet Program;

     (2)  Making an appropriation of general revenues to the Hawaii Teacher Cadet Program Fund; and

     (3)  Making an appropriation out of the Hawaii Teacher Cadet Program Fund for the Hawaii Teacher Cadet Program to provide programs to encourage students to become teachers.

     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 S.B. No. 1155, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1155, 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