STAND. COM. REP. NO. 933

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 11

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 11, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to attract national board certified teachers to teach in schools in a focus, priority, or Superintendent's zone, or other similar designation, as determined by the Department of Education through the Teacher National Board Certification Incentive Program.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hui for Excellence in Education, IMUAlliance, and five individuals.

     Your Committee finds that national board certified teachers are among the most highly trained and committed educators.  Schools struggling with academic achievement and with meeting curriculum goals stand to benefit the most from an infusion of talented and dedicated teachers.  The incentives provided by this measure will work to draw talented teachers into struggling schools.  An additional incentive for national board certified teachers to continue working in schools that rise out of focus, priority, Superintendent's zone, or other designation, no longer have a high turnover rate, or are no longer considered "hard-to-fill" would work to retain national board certified teachers and help the schools continue to improve.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by adding an additional $5,000 bonus per year for any public school teacher who received a yearly bonus for teaching at a school in a focus, priority, or Superintendent's zone, or other similar designation as determined by the Department of Education; a school with a high turnover rate, as determined by the Department; or a hard-to-fill school, as determined by the Department, maintains national board certification, and continues teaching at that school after it is no longer so designated; and specifying that this bonus continues until the end date of the teacher's national board certification in effect at the time the school lost its designation, or until the teacher is no longer employed at the school, whichever occurs first.

     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. 11, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 11, H.D. 2, 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,

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair