STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1684-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   S.B. No. 3252

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 3252, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to address the teacher shortage crisis in the state and improve teacher recruitment and retention by, among other things:

     (1)  Appropriating funds for public school teachers to take preparatory courses, tutorials, or programs for the PRAXIS examinations to become highly qualified under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB);

     (2)  Providing teachers with full service credit for prior teaching experience up to a maximum of 10 years when determining the classification of a teacher hired to teach in a hard-to-fill school, a shortage area category, or other shortage area, and any teacher who meets all the requirements of NCLB;

     (3)  Providing full service credit equal to the teacher's total number of years of teaching experience for national board certified teachers;

     (4)  Appropriating funds to establish professional development schools for Hawaii public school teachers;

     (5)  Specifying that schools that were selected previously shall receive first consideration for the allocation of funds for professional development schools;

     (6)  Appropriating funds to complex areas for academic coaches, teacher professional development, and other programs or initiatives to improve teacher retention;

     (7)  Establishing a teacher housing allowance program to provide housing assistance to teachers;

     (8)  Appropriating funds for the Hawaii Teacher Cadet Program for its efforts toward recruiting and developing future teachers for Hawaii public schools; and

     (9)  Appropriating funds for the Statewide Teacher Induction program within the Department of Education (DOE).

     DOE, the Hawaii Teachers Standards Board, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Educational Policy Center, and a concerned individual supported this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Providing that DOE determine complex area funding allocations to ensure that complex area plans are consistent with state-level initiatives and meet or exceed DOE standards for high quality coaching, professional development, and teacher retention;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3252, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3252, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair