STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1541

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: S.B. No. 983

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Lower & Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 983, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to update and expand the Department of Education's existing professional certification incentive program.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Renames the Department of Education's Teacher National Board Certification Incentive Program as the National Certification Incentive Program;

(2) Expands and clarifies the requirements of the National Certification Incentive Program to include school psychologists;

(3) Specifies that teacher incentives, bonuses, and compensation beyond regular wages are excluded from public charter schools' facilities funding or per-pupil base requests; and

(4) Appropriates funds for certain bonuses for public school teachers, public charter school teachers, and school psychologists.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs, State Public Charter School Commission, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and Kamehameha Schools supported this measure. The Department of Education, Department of Budget and Finance, Hawai‘i Association of School Psychologists, Hawai‘i Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and many concerned individuals offered comments on this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making unspecified appropriations for certain bonuses for:

(A) The Department of Education's public school teachers and school psychologists; and

(B) The State Public Charter School Commission's public charter school teachers and school psychologists;

(2) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2052, to encourage further discussion on this measure; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committee on Lower & Higher Education respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $1,666,434 for each of the fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 to pay for certain bonuses for public school teachers, public charter school teachers, and school psychologists.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Lower & Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 983, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 983, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Lower & Higher Education,

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair