STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2093

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2692

       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. 2692 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE TEACHER RECRUITMENT PIPELINE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Hawaii teacher cadet program to address the teacher shortage.

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the Hawaii Alliance for Future Teachers, Hawaii Pacific University Teacher Education Program, the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture, the Hawaii Education Association, and thirty-nine individuals.

     Your Committee finds that initiatives and programs for addressing the teacher shortage problem that continues to plague our State is essential to providing for not only teacher recruitment and retention, but also high student achievement.  As the teacher shortage continues, the State must continue to explore and support efforts for growing a local teaching workforce.  The Legislature, pursuant to Act 159, Session Laws of Hawaii 2005, established the Hawaii Teacher Cadet Program to identify, support, and encourage prospective teachers while they are still in high school.  This measure provides funding to support the program and, your Committee believes that continued efforts to provide incentives and support for persons pursuing a teaching career will help to address the teacher shortage problem and ensure high quality education for our children.

     Your Committee finds that the current law requires the Hawaii Alliance for Future Teachers, which administers the Hawaii Teacher Cadet Program, to provide matching donations, in various forms, for appropriations made by the State.  Your Committee believes that this requirement is too burdensome for the Hawaii Alliance for Future Teachers and does not want such a requirement to jeopardize the work of the program.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Removing the provision requiring the Hawaii Alliance for Future Teachers to match appropriations or donations; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity and style.

     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. 2692, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2692, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair