SB2819 SD2

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers is essential to the success of Hawaii's public education system. The State continues to face a chronic teacher shortage, which undermines student learning and achievement. For the 2018-2019 school year, the department of education experienced a qualified teacher shortage of one thousand twenty-nine positions.

The legislature further finds that research indicates that competitive and equitable compensation correlates with greater success in recruiting and retaining qualified educators. Yet, numerous studies have shown that Hawaii's teacher salaries are the lowest in the nation when adjusted for the State's high cost of living.

The legislature also finds that teacher salaries are inequitable when experienced senior teachers are aligned with less senior teachers in their placement within the existing salary schedules. Unfair pay scales have driven experienced senior teachers to either retire early or leave the profession, due to the perception that their experience and dedication to public education and the teaching profession will never be adequately valued and recognized.

The legislature further finds that an increasing number of school districts around the country are utilizing compensation methods and strategies designed to improve the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers.

The legislature additionally finds that subsection (a) of section 302A-627, Hawaii Revised Statutes, regarding salary ratings based upon years of teaching experience, conflicts with the intent of this Act, and should be repealed.

The purpose of this Act is to:

(1) Repeal section 302A-627(a), Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(2) Fund an experimental modernization project pursuant to section 78-3.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to address compensation equity issues and to make the necessary discretionary salary adjustments for approximately eight thousand seven hundred experienced senior teachers by recognizing their professional service to the department of education through discretionary salary adjustments.

SECTION 2. Section 302A-627, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§302A-627[~~] Salary ratings of entering or reentering teachers; credit~~] Credit for military service. [(a) Any teacher with more than one year of teaching experience, and so accredited by the department, entering or reentering the service of the department shall have the teacher's salary rating determined by the personnel executive of the department, any other law to the contrary notwithstanding, so that the salary rating shall be equal to the salary ratings held by incumbent teachers in the department with the identical number of years of experience.

~~(b)~~] Any teacher who served on active duty with the armed forces of the United States shall be given credit by the department for the teacher's military service in the determination of the teacher's salary, the teacher's eligibility for leaves of absence, and for all other purposes of seniority. Both reentering and entering teachers shall have each year of their military service or six months thereof credited as a year of teaching experience; provided that no more than four years of credit for military service shall be allowed. Evidence of military service shall be by certificate."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2022-2023 to fund an experimental modernization project pursuant to section 78-3.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, as negotiated between the superintendent of education and the exclusive representative of collective bargaining unit (5) in a memorandum of understanding, to address compensation equity issues and make the necessary discretionary salary adjustments for approximately eight thousand seven hundred teachers whose current base salary does not reflect their years of professional service; provided that the moneys shall not be released until the memorandum of understanding is executed between the superintendent of education and the exclusive representative of collective bargaining unit (5).

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2022-2023 for charter schools commission and administration (EDN 612) to fund an experimental modernization project pursuant to section 78‑3.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, as negotiated between the governing boards of state public charter schools and the exclusive representative of collective bargaining unit (5) in a memorandum of understanding, to address compensation equity issues and make the necessary discretionary salary adjustments for teachers whose current base salary does not reflect their years of professional service; provided that the moneys shall not be released until the memorandum of understanding is executed between the governing boards of state public charter schools and the exclusive representative of collective bargaining unit (5).

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the state public charter school commission for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2819
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022		S.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII