STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1111

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   S.B. No. 847

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 847, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve public education in Hawaii by amending available bonuses for National Board certified teachers to account for changes in state and federal school benchmark designations and to provide for continuing bonuses for teachers who continue to teach at formerly high-need schools that have improved and are no longer categorized as high-need.

The Department of Education, Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hui for Excellence in Education, IMUAlliance, and numerous concerned individuals supported the measure.

     Your Committee has amended the measure by:

     (1)  Providing that all public school teachers who would have been eligible in the 2014 calendar year for bonuses according to the criteria contained in this measure, had this measure been in effect, shall be paid such bonus or bonuses during the 2015 calendar year, in addition to any other bonus or bonuses for the 2015 calendar year; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, 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. 847, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 847, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair