STAND. COM. REP. NO. 478

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 647

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Education and Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 647 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHERS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Make appropriations to:

 

          (a)  Leeward Community College for its special education coursework for teacher licensure; and

 

          (b)  The Department of Education's alternate teacher route contract and teacher induction and mentoring programs;

 

     (2)  Require the Auditor to report on teacher retention statistics on a school-by school basis; and

 

     (3)  Allow retired teachers to be rehired to teach if they earn no more than certain amounts.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; University of Hawaii System; Office of the Vice President of Community Colleges, University of Hawaii System; and twenty-nine individuals.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Employees' Retirement System.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Office of the Auditor and one individual.

 

     Your Committees find that there is a shortage of qualified teachers in Hawaii's public schools that has a detrimental effect on student learning.  Your Committees further find that innovative, non-traditional programs exist for the recruitment and development of teachers.  This measure will provide support for innovative programs to bring qualified teachers into the State's public school classrooms.

 

     Your Committees additionally find that certain statutory provisions relating to retirement are necessary to fulfill federal requirements for the tax-qualified status of the state retirement system.  The Employees' Retirement System testified that rehiring of retired teachers may jeopardize that tax-qualified status.

 

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Removing language allowing the rehiring of retired teachers; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Higher Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 647, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 647, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Higher Education,

 

________________________________

KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair

 

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair