SCR83 SD1

WHEREAS, in 2001, the Twenty-first Legislature transferred the responsibility for licensing teachers from the Department of Education to the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board consists of thirteen members, including not less than six licensed teachers regularly engaged in teaching, three educational officers, the Chairperson of the Board of Education or the chairperson's designee, the Superintendent of Education or the superintendent's designee, a representative of independent schools, and the Dean of the University of Hawaii College of Education or the dean's designee; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board establishes standards for the issuance and renewal of licenses; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board serves as the final adjudicator for appeals relating to licensing, including issuance or nonissuance of licenses, and the suspension, nonrenewal, and revocation of licenses; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board approves teacher education programs and the professional development of teachers; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board established within the state treasury a special fund into which all moneys received by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board are deposited, including fees, fines, grants, and other revenues and which is administered by the Department of Education to fund all operational and personnel costs and reimburse board members for travel expenses incurred; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board was audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers in a program audit of the Department of Education for the year 2003 and a report was completed in June 2005 with the following two major areas for improvement identified:

(1) Need for a clearly defined program purpose; and

(2) Untimely completion; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board has indicated that the web-based system capable of processing online applications, retaining all necessary supporting documents or certification online, as well as providing real time status of the application process would be up and running in 2006; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board is administratively attached to the Department of Education but has no oversight by or is not accountable to the Department of Education, acts autonomously, and at most prepares an annual report to the Legislature and the Governor regarding its operations but is otherwise only required to submit a report every five years to the Legislature and the Governor regarding its accomplishments to fulfill its statutory mission and efforts to achieve responsiveness and efficiency; and

WHEREAS, there are numerous professional and vocational licensing boards, administratively attached to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, that similarly establish licensing standards, implement licensing, enforce discipline, and perform other regulatory functions as the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board; and

WHEREAS, the licensing boards attached to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs do not act autonomously but rather receive direct oversight by and are accountable to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, including the monitoring of those boards' operations, goals, and accomplishments for efficiency and effectiveness; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs serves as a model to ensure accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness of boards and commissions administratively attached to an agency; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to conduct a study of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) Whether the current organizational placement of the Board as an administratively attached agency to the Department of Education is conducive to timely and efficient service to those applying for licenses;

(2) Whether the functions and operations of the Board are similar to those in other states or jurisdictions with similar numbers of students, such as Nebraska;

(3) Whether the functions and operations of the Board are similar to the functions and operations of other Hawaii agencies, such as the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and whether the Board might find a better fit in another agency;

(4) Whether the Board's long-range planning has built-in appropriate policy foundations, benchmarks, and accountability mechanisms;

(5) Whether the Board's appeals process has a defensible, rational basis, and whether that process has yielded any structural changes, improved operations, or more effective screening of applicants over the years of the Board's existence; and

(6) Whether the web-based system was implemented in 2006 and whether it is presently capable of processing online applications, including retaining supporting documents and certifications online, as well as providing real time status of the application process; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor review the fiscal management of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, which review is requested to include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) How the Board's budget is developed and approved;

(2) How expenditures are made and monitored; and

(3) How external audit findings, if any, are resolved; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit a report on the study, including its findings and recommendations, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, the Chairperson and Executive Director of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the Hawaii Government Employees Association, and the State Auditor.

Report Title:

HTSB; Accountability Study; Auditor

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	83
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII