STAND. COM. REP. NO.  45-08

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

 

RE:   H.B. No. 2368

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2368 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to better align Hawaii's teacher licensure requirements with the criteria of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Public Law 107-110, (NCLB) for highly qualified teachers.  Specifically, this bill:

 

     (1)  Requires the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) to make administrative rule changes for this purpose;

 

     (2)  Require the Department of Education (DOE) and HTSB to share data and collaborate for this purpose; and

 

     (3)  Allow individuals to be employed by DOE on an emergency basis for no more than three, rather than four, years.

 

     The University of Hawaii testified in support of this bill.  DOE supported this measure with amendments.  The Hawaii State Teachers Association supported the intent of this bill.  HTSB offered comments.

 


     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

     (1)  Removing the requirement that HTSB make administrative rule changes to align state licensure requirements with federal licensure requirements;

 

     (2)  Allowing unlicensed individuals who have been hired on an emergency basis and are teaching non-core subject areas prior to the effective date of the bill to attain licensure no later than four years from the date of their employment, rather than submitting them to the new three-year requirement;

 

     (3)  Clarifying the purpose section; and

 

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for 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 H.B. No. 2368, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2368, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Labor & Public Employment.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

ROY TAKUMI, Chair