HB2279 HD1

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	2279
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawaii continues to have a critical shortage of trained teachers in the public school system. Between 1999 and 2007, about 1500 new teachers were needed every year to simply fill the vacancies created by retirement or attrition. Unfortunately, the number of new teachers graduating and getting licensed each year falls far short of the actual demand, and the state loses many of its newly minted educators to the mainland.

In 2002, the teacher cadet program was established by the Hawaii Alliance for Future Teachers, a grass-roots organization that works to home-grow teachers in Hawaii. In partnership with the department of education, the alliance has been able to offer an "explorations in education" course in the public schools. Course content includes learning styles, self-assessment, developmental stages of learning, governance in schools, history of education in the United States and Hawaii, and realities of the teaching profession, including salary information. One important component of the course is the field experience, which provides students a chance to actually teach and work with both teachers and students.

Over the course of three years, approximately 200 high school students, mostly seniors, have completed the course, and feedback about the course has been overwhelmingly positive. The alliance hopes to recruit more public schools to offer this course to more students. The ongoing goal is to recruit the best and brightest students for the course. A database system now tracks all of the students who have completed the teacher cadet program.

The purpose of this Act is to address the teacher shortage in Hawaii by appropriating funds for the Hawaii teacher cadet program, including its operations. These operations include the recruitment of additional schools, training of teachers, teacher support, mentoring of students, and tracking of students in the program.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 to the Hawaii teacher cadet program.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for operations of the Hawaii teacher cadet program, including recruitment of additional schools, training of teachers, teacher support, mentoring of students, and tracking of students in the program.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act; provided that the teacher labor necessary to carry out the operations of the Hawaii teacher cadet program shall be provided by the Hawaii Alliance for Future Teachers on a strictly voluntary basis.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2008.