STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2089

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2654

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2654 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for the Teacher Workforce Strategic Planning Committee to address teacher workforce issues in the State.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that, pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 56, S.D. 1, Regular Session 2007, the Hawaii Educational Policy Center (HEPC) was requested to report to the Legislature on the retention and change in assignment of teachers within the Department of Education.  Subsequently, the HEPC conducted a study and reported back to the Legislature that, among other things, the necessary information to fulfill the Legislature's requests was currently unavailable.  The HEPC recommended that the Legislature convene a committee to develop, adopt, adapt, track, and evaluate the implementation of a strategic teacher workforce development plan for the State.  This measure establishes the Teacher Workforce Strategic Planning Committee, as recommended, to address critical issues, including access to and collection of necessary data on teachers, as well as conduct research on teacher workforce experiences and decision making processes.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Including an appropriation in the amount of $25,000 for the Teacher Workforce Strategic Planning Committee; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity 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 S.B. No. 2654, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2654, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair