STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2032

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2819

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

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

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to 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.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; State Public Charter School Commission; Executive Office on Early Learning; University of Hawai‘i System; College of Hawaiian Language, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo; Hawaii State Teachers Association; Hui for Excellence in Education; Hawaii Public Charter Schools Network; Education Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; and two hundred and sixty individuals. Your Committee received no testimony in opposition to this measure. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii continues to face a chronic teacher shortage, which undermines student learning and achievement. Your Committee also finds that teacher salaries are unequal when experienced senior teachers are aligned with less senior teachers in their placement within the existing salary schedules. To address this problem, 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.

Accordingly, your Committee finds that this measure will help address the State's chronic teacher shortage by promoting equitable compensation practices. Your Committee further finds that to accomplish this intent, section 302A-624(c), Hawaii Revised Statutes, should be repealed as it inhibits the allocation of compensation proposed by this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose;

(2) Repealing section 302A-624(c), Hawaii Revised Statutes, to accomplish the intent of this measure;

(3) Clarifying that the parties to the negotiations required by section 4 of this measure are the governing boards of the State's public charter schools and a representative from collective bargaining unit (5); and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

Your Committee notes that the estimated appropriation necessary for this measure is $94,000,000.

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, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2819, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair