SB1265 SD1

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that recruitment and retention of qualified teachers for Hawaii's public schools continues to be a challenge for Hawaii's department of education and charter schools, as well as the teacher education community. The University of Hawaii's college of education plays a major role in the education of future teachers, continued professional development of educators, and programs that lead to licensing, certificate programs, mentoring of teachers, educational research, and policy studies.

The legislature further finds that the strategic plan of the University of Hawaii at Manoa calls for an ongoing commitment to public education in Hawaii.

The legislature further finds that teachers have expressed great frustration with the implementation of and compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act. Since its enactment, there has been a significant amount of experience and analysis of the effectiveness of the No Child Left Behind Act approach to assessments and standards. At the same time, many school systems, including the Hawaii state department of education, have sought to utilize nationally produced assessment instruments that have not always met the needs of our communities. In fact, our State, like many others, has not taken full advantage of the flexibilities that are offered by federal law. It is also apparent that referencing our standards requirements to a law that may be modified or repealed may limit the State's options.

The legislature further finds that greater collaboration between the University of Hawaii's many educational resources, including the Hawaii educational policy center and the department of education, will benefit all of Hawaii's students.

Specifically, this Act includes appropriations for the following programs:

(1) Teacher education capacity (fiscal year 2007-2008: $65,000; fiscal year 2008-2009: $130,000). To continue efforts to fill the State's need for qualified teachers for Hawaii's keiki, this appropriation for additional permanent positions in fiscal year 2007 and another in fiscal year 2008 for the college of education allows the school to accept more qualified students into teacher education programs, thus increasing the number and quality of locally produced teachers in shortage areas such as mathematics, science, and, in keeping the P-20 initiative, early childhood education;

(2) Supporting the center on disability studies (fiscal year 2007-2008: $120,000; fiscal year 2008-2009: $120,000). To meet federal grant requirements for institutional support, the center on disability studies requests two additional permanent faculty positions. The center on disability studies operates with only one general-funded position. The additional positions will enable the center on disability studies to further expand its ability to obtain additional grant funds and, therefore, its outreach to serve the increasing numbers of persons with disabilities. The center on disability studies works through training, research, and service to improve quality of life for people with disabilities throughout the State, and currently manages more than eighty-eight faculty and staff members and fifty projects with a budget of over $15,000,000;

(3) Funding for mentor teachers (fiscal year 2007-2008: $125,000; fiscal year 2008-2009: $125,000). Cooperating teachers/counselors and observation/participating teachers in grades kindergarten through twelve classrooms throughout the State provide an essential service to the college of education by supervising and mentoring full-time student teachers and other education practicum students in the field required for licensure. Funding for this item is requested to:

(A) More appropriately compensate mentor teachers for the additional work they provide in developing Hawaii's teacher workforce; and

(B) Put mentor compensation on par with other institutions of higher learning in the State;

(4) Funding for schools to apply to become professional development schools (fiscal year 2007-2008: $250,000; fiscal year 2008-2009: $250,000). Schools in reconstruction status under the federal No Child Left Behind law may compete for grants that address standards-based learning, teacher preparation, and professional development by the placement of faculty within the school to work with future and current teachers;

(5) Permanent special education faculty (fiscal year 2008‑2009: $500,000). The State of Hawaii's need for more qualified special is allocated teachers is increasing. In order to fulfill this need, the college of education requests funds to hire seven permanent faculty and one full-time staff person in the special education department. These positions have been funded by the Hawaii department of education under a memorandum of agreement with the college of education, which, if discontinued, would severally impact the college of education’s ability to produce qualified special education teachers;

(6) Funding responsibility for the master of education in teaching program (fiscal year 2007-2008: $700,000; fiscal year 2008-2009: $700,000). Transfer funding for the master of education in teaching program from the department of education to the college of education and expand stipends to include native Hawaiian cohort teachers. The master of education in teaching program is a two-year program, including two semesters of field experience in grades kindergarten through twelve classroom settings. During the fourth semester, teacher candidates work as teacher interns, whereby they fill a vacated department of education teacher position and are the teacher of record from January to the end of the department of education calendar year. The funds are used to pay mentor teachers in the program and stipends to the student interns in both the on-going master of education in teaching program cohort and to expand funding to include the native Hawaiian master of education in teacher program cohort;

(7) Provide funding for the office of school redesign at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (fiscal year 2007-2008: $300,000; fiscal year 2008-2009: $300,000). The office of school redesign will provide technical support to public secondary schools and help in the development and implementation of small learning communities within large secondary schools throughout the State. With the appropriated moneys, the office will:

(A) Maintain a research database on the creation and effectiveness of small redesigned secondary schools;

(B) Lead state advocacy efforts for the creation of small redesigned secondary schools;

(C) Provide technical assistance to schools engaging in redesign through professional development institutes, facilitating/arranging visitations to exemplary or merging sites in Hawaii and elsewhere, and preparing/supporting a cadre of on-site coaches;

(D) Develop and promote connections and professional development opportunities for learning and sharing among local change agents;

(E) Participate with national networks of practitioners and researchers involved in launching or redesigning schools and school systems;

(F) Promote the concept of a research cadre that will be involved in developing, documenting, and disseminating understandings about school redesign, and contributing to a research database. Promote and facilitate dialogue among various school stakeholders with respect to the most current research and understandings about school redesign;

(G) Foster communication among educators, decision-makers, and the greater community to advance secondary school redesign; and

(H) Assist schools in preparing grant applications to advance redesign activities;

(8) Continue to support the collaboration of the college of education in filling the gap in producing highly qualified teachers. The Teach for America program in Hawaii is a partnership of the Hawaii department of education, the University of Hawaii college of education, and the national Teach for America program with support from the state legislature, the governor’s office, and private foundations/corporations. The intent is to provide highly qualified teachers in traditionally hard to fill areas such as mathematics, science, and special education, to serve in high poverty, high need communities. These are areas that the institutions of higher education in Hawaii collectively have been consistently unable to address. Teach for America is currently recruiting teachers to fill Hawaii vacancies. The funds are to provide a masters of education in teaching degree for newly hired Teach for America teachers (4 positions for fiscal year 2007-2008: $250,000; 4 positions for fiscal year 2008-2009 $250,000); and

(9) Create a seamless career pathway from high school to community college to baccalaureate completion preparing educational assistants and teachers to fill high need areas through Leeward community college and the University of Hawaii at Manoa college of education. Leeward community college and the college of education will work together to recruit, train, and retain prospective educational assistants, paraprofessionals, and elementary and secondary teachers by combining resources to reach out to community members interested in pursuing a career in education. Leeward community college will provide education training resulting in an associate of arts in teaching degree. The college of education will accept Leeward community college associate of arts in teaching degree holders into an upper division cohort specially designed for associate of arts in teaching graduates that will lead to state teacher licensure. Courses will be delivered in Leeward communities through face-to-face, distance learning, and/or hybrid instruction. Leeward community college requests 2.5 positions (fiscal year 2007-2008: $158,000; fiscal year 2008-2009: $158,000). College of education requests 3.5 positions (fiscal year 2007-2008: $255,000; fiscal year 2008-2009: $255,000).

The legislature further finds that currently the public school system in Hawaii is not graduating adequate numbers of students with basic science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills to meet the workforce demands of the State. An emphasis must be placed on programs to develop skills in these areas to prepare our students for challenging careers in this global society where STEM disciplines have become much more prominent. In order to properly educate and prepare students in the STEM disciplines, the State must invest in the training of an educated teaching workforce to help to ensure that our students will succeed in the workforce. The legislature finds that the quality of STEM teaching in Hawaii's schools will be improved by providing enhanced professional development opportunities for practicing teachers.

The purpose of this Act is to provide funding for key programs that will increase the capacity of the college of education to educate qualified teachers, meet federal requirements for institutional support of disability studies, expand teacher professional development and mentoring programs, and transfer the office of school redesign from the department of education to the University of Hawaii. In addition, this Act will:

(1) Establish the research experience for teachers program to support the development of middle school teacher STEM skills and knowledge and develop middle school curriculum for STEM subjects and provide funding therefor;

(2) Establish a professional development program for grades kindergarten through twelve teachers and provide funding therefore;

(3) Clarify the dual purposes of the Hawaii educator loan program;

(4) Amend the amounts of loan forgiveness for the Hawaii educator loan program;

(5) Appropriate funds for the Hawaii teacher cadet program; and

(6) Appropriate funds for induction teacher mentoring for new teachers and teachers who are new to Hawaii at a fifteen-to-one teacher to mentor ratio.

SECTION 2. (a) There is established the research experiences for teachers program, which shall be administered by the University of Hawaii college of engineering. The purpose of the research experiences for teachers program shall be to support the development of middle school teacher skills and knowledge and the development of middle school curriculum materials in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subject areas, with a particular focus on wireless communications.

(b) The research experiences for teachers program shall:

(1) Educate teachers in the advances in technology in wireless communications and engineering;

(2) Enhance teacher research skills through the use of software and innovative uses of equipment;

(3) Provide teacher participants with hands on research experiences;

(4) Support teachers in developing classroom lessons and program activities that meet their course objectives and student performance standards; and

(5) Provide opportunities to share and collaborate with other teacher participants to ensure successful implementation of curricula and programs.

(1) Providing on-site lectures, demonstrations, and laboratory tours at the University of Hawaii and middle schools;

(2) Reviewing wireless communication concepts, methods, history, and applications;

(3) Reviewing engineering and relevant science concepts, research methodology, and real-world applications;

(4) Reviewing key components of inquire-based teaching materials;

(5) Providing teachers with technical content support;

(6) Assisting teachers in adapting state-of-the-art engineering research into a meaningful classroom experience for students;

(7) Providing semiannual video conference/seminar to transfer relevant information and experiences among teacher participants and sponsors;

(8) Providing summer engineering workshops for teachers; and

(9) Maintaining a website for content and program dissemination.

SECTION 3. There is established within the University of Hawaii a professional development program to provide practicing elementary, middle, and high school teachers of science and mathematics with opportunities to increase their knowledge and understanding of recent developments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The professional development program shall be open to both certificated and non-certificated teachers. Design of the professional development program shall include evaluation of best practices in other school jurisdictions. In recognition that the year-round public school calendar has shortened the summer period, that not all schools are on the same academic calendar, and that programs throughout the year, offered in a variety of formats, would facilitate immediate implementation in the classroom, the program shall have the following attributes:

(1) Flexibility—the program shall provide a variety of options designed to meet the specific needs of Hawaii's teachers, which may include summer institutes, a combination of summer, after school, or weekend institutes, distance learning through video conferencing or other mechanisms, neighbor island locations, or other options; and

(2) Accountability—the program shall provide a method to track the student outcomes derived from participation in the program.

The goal of the professional development program for practicing teachers shall be to provide training for two thousand six hundred teachers during the 2007-2009 biennium.

SECTION 4. Section 304A-701, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§304A-701[]] Hawaii educator loans; eligibility; amounts[.]; forgiveness. (a) There is created the Hawaii educator loan program to be administered by the University of Hawaii, [~~to provide financial support to students who complete~~] the purpose of which is to:

(1) Provide recruitment incentives for students to enroll in state-approved teacher education programs; and

(2) Provide a retention incentive for teachers who have graduated from a state-approved teacher education program and who agree to teach in the Hawaii public school system.

Eligibility shall be awarded by the university to students on a competitive basis.

(b) The amount to be loaned to a student under the recruitment incentive loan portion shall be determined by the board of regents based on need for financial aid and proof of acceptance into a state-approved teacher education program at the university. The maximum amount of loans that a student may receive under this program shall be an aggregate amount equivalent to tuition payments and costs of textbooks and other instructional materials necessary to complete a state-approved teacher education program.

SECTION 5. Section 304A-702, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:

1. By amending subsection (b) to read:

"(b) Upon a showing of proof that the loan recipient has completed a state-approved teacher education program and is employed as a full-time teacher in the Hawaii public school system, [~~one-tenth~~] per cent of the total amount of the loan and interest shall be waived for every year of the first [~~five~~] three years, and the remaining balance shall be waived after the sixth year that a loan recipient teaches in a Hawaii public school in a hard-to-fill position as determined by the superintendent of education, including special education, regular education shortage categories, or Title 1 schools, and in one of the following capacities:

(1) As an elementary school teacher teaching in the field of elementary education who has met standards as set forth by the Hawaii teacher standards board; or

(2) As a secondary school teacher teaching in the subject area that is relevant to the loan recipient's academic major as certified by the department of education who has met standards as set forth by the Hawaii teacher standards board."

2. By amending subsection (d) to read:

"(d) If a loan recipient subject to this section fails to teach in the Hawaii public school system for a minimum of [~~ten~~] six consecutive years from the loan recipient's original date of employment with the department of education[,] or a charter school, excluding sabbatical and other forms of temporary leaves of absence, then the loan recipient shall repay any remaining loan balance at the rate of ten per cent simple interest."

SECTION 6. 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 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for the University of Hawaii to carry out the purposes of this Act, including the hiring of necessary staff; provided that:

(1) For fiscal year 2007-2008 the sums appropriated shall be allocated as follows:

(A) $65,000 for an additional position for the college of education to increase teacher education capacity;

(B) $120,000 for 2.0 (FTE) positions for the center on disability studies;

(D) $250,000 to enable schools to apply to become professional development schools;

(E) $700,000 for the master of education in teaching program;

(F) $300,000 for the office of school redesign;

(G) $250,000 for the college of education to fund masters of education in teaching degrees for teachers;

(H) $158,000 for 2.5 (FTE) positions for Leeward community college for educational training;

(I) $255,000 for 3.5 (FTE) positions for the college of education for educational training; and

(J) $ for the Hawaii educator loan program.

(2) For fiscal year 2008-2009 the sums appropriated shall be allocated as follows:

(A) $130,000 shall be for 2.0 (FTE) positions for the college of education to increase teacher education capacity;

(B) $120,000 for 2.0 (FTE) positions for the center on disability studies;

(D) $250,000 to enable schools to apply to become professional development schools;

(E) $500,000 for permanent special education faculty;

(F) $700,000 for the master of education in teaching program;

(G) $300,000 for the office of school redesign;

(H) $250,000 for the college of education to fund masters of education in teaching degrees for teachers;

(I) $158,000 for 2.5 (FTE) positions for Leeward community college for educational training;

(J) $255,000 for 3.0 (FTE) positions for the college of education for educational training; and

(K) $ for the Hawaii educator loan program.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii.

SECTION 7. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $187,905, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the sum of $250,540, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for the research experiences for teachers program.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 8. There is appropriated out of general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $350,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the amount of $700,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for developing programs for professional development in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects for practicing teachers.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 9. 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 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, to the Hawaii teacher cadet program fund.

SECTION 10. There is appropriated out of the Hawaii teacher cadet program fund of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for the operations of the teacher cadet program, including recruitment, retention, training, and teacher support.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act; provided that the Hawaii Alliance for Future Teachers matches the amounts appropriated, as provided in section 302A-401.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

SECTION 11. 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 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for induction teacher mentoring for new teachers and teachers who are new to Hawaii based upon a fifteen-to-one teacher to mentor ratio. Induction mentors, not new teachers, should be recognized as educators who have demonstrated exemplary performance and these educators shall have the opportunity to be induction teachers and their participation shall be flexible. These teachers shall have full return rights to their previous teaching positions.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 12. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 13. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	1265
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII