STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3107

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2269

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Education and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2269, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Expand the National Board Certification Incentive Program to include school psychologists and to provide greater monetary incentives for this profession; and

     (2)  Authorize continuing monetary bonuses for public school teachers and school psychologists in certain designated schools that improve and no longer carry a certain designation.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Association of School Psychologists, and two individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Education and Hawaii School Counselor Association.

     Your Committees find that national board certified education professionals are critical to the learning growth of Hawaii's students.  Existing law provides for bonuses for board national certified teachers who work in schools that are designated to have certain needs.  Your Committees further find that there is a shortage of qualified school psychologists in many of Hawaii's school complex areas, and that opportunities for board certified teacher bonuses should also be extended to school psychologists.  However, your Committees also find that the ten year national board certification period for teachers and the Department of Education's budgetary constraints make it unfeasible to pay bonuses to teachers for the full period of their certification once the school where they work no longer carries a certain designation.

     As such, your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Removing teachers from the type of public school employees eligible to receive yearly bonuses in certain designated schools that improve and no longer carry a certain designation; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2269, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2269, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

________________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair