Report Title:

Rehiring Retired School Administrators

Description:

Allows the rehiring of retired school administrators as principals or vice principals without penalty to retirement benefits. Requires retirees to have been retired for at least one year before reemployment. (SD1)

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

14

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to rehiring retired school administrators.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, a national organization with nineteen partner states, including Hawaii, seeks to improve student learning by ensuring that there are caring, competent, and qualified teachers, principals and vice principals in every school.

The Hawaii Policy Group of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, comprised of a representative group of educational stakeholders, has collaborated on research-based recommendations to improve teaching in Hawaii. The recommendations encompass five key areas:

(1) Establishing and implementing standards for students and teachers;

(2) Providing for teacher preparation and professional development;

(3) Strengthening teacher recruitment and placing qualified teachers in all classrooms;

(4) Encouraging and rewarding teaching knowledge and skill; and

(5) Creating schools that are organized for student and teacher success.

One thing was clear: aside from home and societal factors, teacher quality is, without a question, the most influential factor in student achievement. Standards-based reform has a greater chance of success when teacher quality is addressed and given our highest priority. Teachers must be given the necessary resources and tools to ensure that all students attain their full potential, as well as support and guidance from experienced and trained principals and vice principals.

In its efforts to provide quality education for all students, the department of education continues to seek solutions to address its recruitment needs in maintaining teacher, principal, and vice principal applicant pools capable of addressing continuing shortages. The shortage of applicants is projected to exist for at least another ten years.

The purpose of this Act is to enable the department of education to hire qualified retired principals and vice-principals to fill principal and vice-principal positions in department of education identified shortage areas.

SECTION 2. Beginning July 1, 2003, the department of education may employ retired principals and vice principals at up to one hundred per cent full-time equivalents in shortage areas identified by the department of education; provided that persons hired under this section shall have been retired for at least one year before the effective date of their reemployment. Sections 88-21, 88-42.5, 88-43, 88-45, and 88-46, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and any other law to the contrary notwithstanding, retired principals and vice principals hired under this section shall not earn retirement service credit, contribute to the retirement system, or gain additional retirement system benefits as a result of their employment; provided that the retired principal or vice principal shall continue to receive entitled normal retirement benefits without penalty.

Vacant principal and vice principal positions shall be advertised when there are no applicants for the position. Retired principals and vice principals hired pursuant to this section shall be compensated at the entry level pay rate for the vacant position.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.