STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1159-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 2819

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2819, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Provide the Department of Education with the flexibility to allocate teacher compensation by repealing section 302A-627(a), Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(2) Appropriate funds for 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 certain teachers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Standards Board, Aha Kauleo, Democratic Party of Hawaii Labor Caucus, and numerous individuals.

Prior to the hearing on this measure, your Committee posted and made available for public review a proposed H.D. 1, which retained the contents of this measure and inserted language that statutorily establishes a teacher effectiveness support system, which:

(1) Provides automatic step increases in salaries for each year of satisfactory service completed by educational assistants, public school teachers, and principals and vice principals; and

(2) Increases the amount of time available to teachers for planning, preparation, and collaboration.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the proposed H.D. 1 from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Education, State Public Charter School Commission, Democratic Party of Hawai‘i Education Caucus, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and Hui for Excellence in Education. Your Committee received testimony in support of the intent of the proposed H.D. 1 from the Executive Office on Early Learning. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to the proposed H.D. 1 from the Office of Collective Bargaining. Your Committee received comments on the proposed H.D. 1 from the Department of Education; Department of Budget and Finance; Employees' Retirement System; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO.

Your Committee finds that the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers is essential to the success of the State's public education system. Your Committee further finds that Hawaii continues to face a chronic teacher shortage, which undermines student learning and achievement. Your Committee notes that teacher salaries are inequitable when experienced senior teachers are aligned with less senior teachers in their placement within the existing salary schedules, often causing experienced teachers to retire or leave the profession. This measure will help address the State's chronic teacher shortage by making necessary discretionary salary adjustments for teachers by more closely basing salaries upon years of teaching experience.

Your Committee also finds that a step increase in salary for Department of Education staff for every additional year of public school service will help to retain experienced staff within the State's public school system. Additionally, providing teachers adequate time to prepare lessons and collaborate with colleagues to meet the needs of their students will greatly benefit Hawaii's children.

Your Committee has amended this measure by adopting the proposed H.D. 1. Your Committee has further amended the measure by:

(1) Clarifying that teachers assigned to a school-level classroom instructional position shall be provided a minimum of forty-five continuous minutes per week, two times per week, for collaboration with peers;

(2) Implementing the teacher collaboration provision beginning with the 2023-2024 school year;

(3) Repealing of section 302A-624(c), Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(4) Appropriating an unspecified amount of funds for the teacher effectiveness support system; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of 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. 2819, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2819, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Labor & Tourism.

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

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair