STAND. COM. REP. NO. 260

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 605

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 605 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHER LICENSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to accelerate the process by which the State may infuse qualified teachers into Hawaii's educational system.

     Specifically, the measure authorizes the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to issue Hawaii teaching licenses to teachers from other states whose licensing standards are equivalent to or higher than Hawaii's.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the University of Hawaii, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii's schools and their students can benefit greatly from the licensure of qualified teachers from outside of the State.  The ability to license qualified teachers from outside of Hawaii is particularly important during times of teacher shortages.  Under existing law, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board is required to pursue full teacher license reciprocity with the mid-Atlantic states, as well as with California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Washington.  This measure, as received by your Committee, removes the requirement to pursue reciprocity and instead requires the automatic licensure of teachers with licenses issued by the aforementioned list of seven states and any other state whose licensing standards are not lower than Hawaii's. 

     Your Committee recognizes the concerns presented on the difficulty the board would have in defining and implementing a standard to allow the issuance of a Hawaii teaching license to a teacher who is licensed by a state other than the seven listed states without any criteria to determine whether that state's standard is lower than Hawaii's.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adding language to clarify the need for and intent of the measure;

     (2)  Removing the requirement that the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board issue a Hawaii teaching license to a teacher with a license issued by any state whose licensing standards are not lower than Hawaii's;

     (3)  Requiring the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to pursue full teacher license reciprocity with all other states; and

     (4)  Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment 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. 605, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 605, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair