STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1396-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 2819

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor & Tourism, to which was referred S.B. No. 2819, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, 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 automatic step increases in salaries for each year of satisfactory service completed by educational assistants, public school teachers, and principals and vice principals and to increase the amount of time available to teachers for collaboration, preparation, and planning;

(2) Repeal sections 302A-624(c) and 302A-627(a), Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to minimum times required for teachers to be elevated from one class to the next and salary ratings of entering or reentering teachers, respectively; and

(3) Fund experimental modernization projects pursuant to section 78-3.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to address compensation equity issues and to make the necessary discretionary salary adjustments for experienced senior public school teachers and state public charter school teachers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System, Executive Office on Early Learning, Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, State Public Charter School Commission, Hawaii State Teachers Association, McKinley High School Special Education Department, Hawaii Association of School Psychologists, Rainbow Family 808, Democratic Party of Hawai‘i Education Caucus, Hui for Excellence in Education, and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of Collective Bargaining, Department of Budget and Finance, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education; Employees' Retirement System of the State of Hawaii; 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 are 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. Your Committee further finds that research indicates competitive and equitable compensation correlates with greater success in recruiting and retaining qualified educators. Nonetheless, the salaries of experienced senior teachers in the State are aligned with less senior teachers in their placement within existing salary schedules. This measure seeks to address some of the existing salary inequities.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the teacher effectiveness support system program and related appropriation;

(2) Deleting references to an experimental modernization project pursuant to section 78-3.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(3) Adding the Governor and the Board of Education to the entities involved in negotiating a memorandum of understanding to address compensation equity issues and make the necessary discretionary salary adjustments for public school teachers;

(4) Amending its purpose section accordingly; 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 Labor & Tourism that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2819, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2819, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Tourism,

____________________________

RICHARD H.K. ONISHI, Chair