STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2190

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2281

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2281 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to amend the salary cap for the Superintendent of Education, Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, and Complex Area Superintendents.

     Comments were submitted by one state agency.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will provide the Board of Education with greater flexibility in determining salaries for top-level administrators of the Department of Education to attract more qualified candidates for these positions.  However, your Committee finds that the additional flexibility must be accompanied by greater accountability and an assurance that the salaries will be commensurate with job performance, responsibilities of the job, and other factors.  As a result, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the Commission on Salaries to make recommendations to the Board of Education for the salaries of Department of Education top-level administrators, including the Superintendent of Education, Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, Complex Area Superintendents, and the State Librarian;

     (2)  Requiring the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to convene an Ad Hoc Committee to recommend salaries to the Board of Education for the Superintendent of Education, Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, Complex Area Superintendents, and the State Librarian for the interim period commencing July 1, 2010, and until the Commission on Salaries' recommendations to the Board of Education take effect;

     (3)  Requiring the Board of Education to consider the Ad Hoc Committee's recommendation of salaries until such time that the Commission on Salaries submits its recommendation of salaries;

     (4)  Providing that if a constitutional amendment authorizing the Commission on Salaries to make salary recommendations for certain Department of Education personnel is not ratified by December 31, 2014, the Ad Hoc Committee shall still be established, and the salary caps existing pursuant to statute on the day prior to the effective date of this measure shall be effective until the Ad Hoc Committee's salary recommendations to the Board of Education take effect; provided that the Ad Hoc Committee shall be repealed on July 1, 2014, and the salary amounts shall remain at the levels recommended by the Ad Hoc Committee and approved by the Board of Education to take effect on January 1, 2014; and

     (5)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to ensure further discussion on this measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2281, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2281, 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 and Housing,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair