STAND. COM. REP. NO.  315-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2524

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2524 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Ensure a fair allocation of funds meant to benefit students who attend public schools established and maintained by the Department of Education and students who attend public charter schools by mandating that incentive bonuses shall not be paid from per-pupil funds; and

     (2)  Appropriate funds to pay for teacher bonuses for hard-to-fill placement incentives and National Certification Incentive Program bonuses for public charter school teachers.

The State Public Charter School Commission, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Ho‘okāko‘o Corporation, Kualapu‘u School, Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science Public Charter School, Kamaile Academy, Hālau Kū Māna, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Kamehameha Schools, Hawaii Public Charter Schools Network, and several concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Budget and Finance opposed this measure.  Kua o ka La Charter School and a concerned individual provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

     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 H.B. No. 2524, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2524, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair