STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2039

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2691

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2691 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to provide teachers receiving satisfactory service performance evaluations with annual step increases for five years.

     This measure also prohibits Department of Education teachers with marginal service performance evaluations from receiving annual step increases and excludes teachers at the top salary levels from receiving annual step increases.

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.  The Governor's Policy Office submitted comments.

     Your Committee finds that the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers to teach in Hawaii's public schools remains a critical issue in the State.  To the extent that the Department of Education can retain quality teachers, various efforts must be made to that end.  This measure seeks to provide for automatic salary increases for teachers who exhibit satisfactory performance in an effort to reward and retain such teachers.

     Upon testimony provided, your Committee recognizes that compensation is and should continue to remain an issue well within the purview of collective bargaining.  However, the provision of annual increases or other incentives outside of collective bargaining should be explored by the interested parties to provide maximum benefits for deserving teachers.  Your Committee further finds that the current evaluation system under the Department of Education does not provide for annual evaluations, which compromises a quality teacher's ability to receive incentives for performance and allows poorly performing teachers to continue teaching unchecked.  Your Committee finds that consideration of a new approach to teacher evaluation is appropriate.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Removing its contents;

     (2)  Replacing its contents with provisions that require the Department of Education, in consultation with the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the Hawaii Government Employees Association, and the Hawaii Educational Policy Center, to conduct a study and report to the Legislature on the necessary criteria and components of an annual evaluation process for public school teachers to allow for pay incentives outside of collective bargaining and ensure identification and repercussions for poorly performing teachers; and

     (3)  Including an appropriation of $25,000 for the study.

     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. 2691, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2691, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair