STAND. COM. REP. NO. 343-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1534

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Higher Education & Technology and Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1534 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a teacher apprenticeship program to support, recruit, develop, and retain teachers for Hawaii's public schools.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association; Hawaiʻi; P-20 Partnerships for Education; and three individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board; and University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Education.

Your Committees find that the lack of apprenticeship programs to assist teachers in obtaining the necessary licenses and gaining workforce experience contributes to poor teacher retention, a dearth of diversity, and insufficient recruitment of local teachers in public schools in the State. Your Committees further find that the establishment of a structured teacher apprenticeship program will boost retention, diversity, and recruitment among the State's public school teachers.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Adopting language proposed by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to replace the language in the current measure with language that renames the Hawaii Teacher Apprenticeship Program as a Hawaii Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program and ensures the Program is in compliance with and, approved by, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and in accordance with federal regulations;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committees respectfully request your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of:

(1) $75,000 for mentor stipends to be distributed by the Hawaii Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program;

(2) $105,900 to establish a business manager officer position for the Program; and

(3) $114,000 to establish an institutional analyst EO II position for the Program.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education & Technology and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1534, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1534, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________ JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair

____________________________ AMY A. PERRUSO, Chair