STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1817-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2383

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2383, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to facilitate the recruitment and retention of qualified education professionals in the State by:

(1) Amending provisions of the National Certification Incentive Program within the Department of Education (DOE) to include school psychologists who have achieved national certification;

(2) Authorizing payment of incentive bonuses through the National Certification Incentive Program to school psychologists who have achieved national certification;

(3) Amending provisions for payment of incentive bonuses to teachers and school psychologists at targeted, high-turnover, and hard-to-fill schools, including schools that have improved so as to lose their designation;

(4) Excluding costs for charter school teacher incentive programs, bonuses, and other compensation beyond regular wages from:

(A) The general fund per-pupil request for each regular education and special education charter school student; and

(B) Charter schools' facilities funding;

(5) Beginning fiscal year 2018-2019, requiring separate budget line items for such payments; and

(6) Appropriating funds to pay for bonuses for public school teachers, public charter school teachers, and school psychologists.

The State Public Charter School Commission supported this measure. The Department of Budget and Finance, DOE, and Hawaii State Teachers Association provided comments on this measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2383, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair