HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	2435
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that Hawaii continues to have a critical shortage of trained teachers for the public school system.  Between 1999 and 2007, approximately fifteen hundred new teachers were needed each year to fill the vacancies created by retirement or attrition.  In addition, the number of new teachers graduating and getting licensed each year falls far short of the actual demand.

     The legislature finds that Hawaii's public school system is in great need of energetic and competent teachers.  Beginning in 2006, in order to help alleviate this chronic teacher shortage and to help schools make significant academic progress by introducing new ideas and teaching styles into classrooms, the non-profit organization Teach For America began supplying outstanding recent college graduates to the Hawaii department of education.  The program provides a teaching opportunity for candidates who have degrees in subjects other than teaching but want to give back to the community.  These college graduates commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools and many become leaders in expanding educational opportunities.  This year, over one hundred twenty Teach For America corps members, including twenty corps members who are establishing the organization's first presence on the Big Island, are teaching approximately ten thousand students in underserved schools in Hawaii.

     The following is a breakdown of the placement of Teach For America teachers:

     (1)  Twenty per cent are elementary teachers;

     (2)  Eighty per cent are secondary school teachers; and

     (3)  Fifteen per cent are special education teachers.

     In America today, there are seven thousand three hundred corps members teaching across the country, while seventeen thousand Teach For America alumni continue working for the fundamental changes necessary to ensure educational excellence for all students.  The legislature finds that Teach For America acts not only as a teacher recruitment program that seeks to attract college graduates to the classrooms, but also as a catalyst for change within the school systems to which they are assigned.

     The purpose of this Act is to appropriate a portion of the department of education's annual operating budget for ten years to support the perpetuation of Teach For America in Hawaii.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part V to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§302A-   Teach For America; funding, collective bargaining. (a)  The department shall expend $3,000,000 of its annual operating budget to support Teach For America's efforts to address the teacher shortage in the State and help the department achieve adequate yearly progress pursuant to the No Child Left Behind Act, Public Law 117‑110, in schools to which Teach For America teachers are assigned.  Moneys allocated to Teach For America shall be used for the following:

(1) Recruitment and selection of Teach For America corps members for Hawaii schools;

(2) Professional development of Teach For America corps members for Hawaii schools;

(3) Pre-service training of Teach For America corps members for Hawaii schools; and

(4) Teach For America local program administration and development including but not limited to salaries, office expenses, rent, travel, research, and insurance.

(b)  Teachers hired by Teach For America to work in Hawaii schools shall be subject to this chapter and chapter 89.  Whenever there are conflicts between chapter 89 and any provisions in an agreement between Teach For America and the State concerning teachers hired for the purposes of this section, chapter 89 shall prevail."

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2010 and shall be repealed on June 30, 2020.

INTRODUCED BY:

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Report Title:

Teach For America; Department of Education; Appropriation

Description:

Appropriates a portion of the department of education's annual operating budget to support Teach For America in Hawaii to train, sustain, and prepare outstanding college graduates in order to become teachers in the Hawaii department of education.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.