STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1155-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 3209

S.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 Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 3209, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2022-2023 for twenty-one additional hours of professional development for teachers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Education, State Public Charter School Commission, Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that professional development for teachers is a vital way to ensure teachers can use the best, research-based educational practices within their classrooms. Your Committee further finds that in the collectively-bargained agreement between the Board of Education and the exclusive representative of bargaining unit (5), representing teachers, there was a memorandum of understanding that allowed for twenty-one additional hours to be added to the teachers' workday without students. These twenty-one hours were to be used for job‑embedded professional development to provide benefits, including a formalized structure for organizing training and learning time, reducing the need for substitute teachers, and eliminating teacher absences from classes for training. However, this memorandum of understanding expired on June 30, 2021, and because funding was not available, the memorandum of understanding was not renewed. This measure will provide the funding for the twenty-one hours for teachers to use for professional development.

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. 3209, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading 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