STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2572

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2449

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2449, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to provide greater flexibility in setting the duration of probationary periods for new teachers of the Department of Education to enable compliance with collective bargaining agreements.

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

     Your Committee finds that, pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement negotiated between the exclusive representative for Bargaining Unit 5 and the State, newly employed teachers of the Department of Education are subject to a probationary period of one year, or two semesters.  Under the current law, all new teachers, principals, and vice-principals are subject to probationary periods of two years.  This measure honors the spirit of the collective bargaining process by allowing the duration of probationary periods to change pursuant to renegotiated collective bargaining agreements.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical nonsubstantive changes for the purpose of clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2449, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2449, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair