STAND. COM. REP. NO.  517-08

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

 

RE:   H.B. No. 2368

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 2368, H.D. 1, 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 (NCLB) Public Law 107-110, for highly qualified teachers.  Specifically, this bill:

 

     (1)  Requires the Department of Education (DOE) and Hawaii Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) to share data and collaborate for this purpose;

 

     (2)  Allows individuals to be employed by DOE on an emergency basis for no more than three, rather than four, years; and

 

     (3)  Requires unlicensed individuals who have been hired on an emergency basis and are currently teaching noncore subject areas to attain licensure no later than four years from the date of their employment.

 

     The University of Hawaii and HTSB testified in support of this bill.  The Hawaii State Teachers Association supported the intent of this bill.

 

     The shortage of licensed teachers in Hawaii has forced DOE to hire nonlicensed teachers.  However, these individuals must be in active pursuit of their license to teach within a certain period of time to be able to continue to teach for the DOE.  Under NCLB, the emergency hire teacher needs to do this within three years of being hired.  This bill conforms state licensing laws for emergency hire teachers with the NCLB.

 

     However, your Committee understands the concerns raised by DOT and has amended this bill by changing its effective date to July 1, 2059, to encourage further discussion.

 

     Other technical, nonsubstantive amendments were made for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2368, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2368, H.D. 2.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

ALEX M. SONSON, Chair