STAND. COM. REP. NO.3240

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.B. No. 2558

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2558, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STUDENT LOANS FOR TEACHERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is establish the Hawaii educator incentive program to increase the number of qualified teachers in Hawaii public schools.

Specifically, the bill provides that:

(1) Students who complete an approved teacher education program in Hawaii and teach in Hawaii public schools for six years may receive tuition reimbursement;

(2) The maximum reimbursement shall not exceed the cost of tuition, textbooks, and required materials at University of Hawaii;

(3) Periodic installment reimbursements begin one year after employment as a full-time teacher and conclude after the sixth year of teaching in certain designated hard-to-fill positions, ceasing if the individual stops teaching in Hawaii public schools; and

(4) The Hawaii educator incentive special fund, to be administered by the Department of Education, is created to provide financial assistance to program participants.

Your Committee finds that the shortage of qualified teachers in Hawaii's public school system is a serious problem that affects the education of our children. The Hawaii educator incentive program addresses this issue by providing tuition reimbursements to individuals who receive their education in state-approved teacher programs in Hawaii and who commit to teaching for six years in positions designated by the Superintendent of Education as hard to fill. By providing tuition reimbursements to graduates of state-approved programs in Hawaii, the Hawaii educator incentive program will encourage students who attend Hawaii colleges other than the University of Hawaii to become teachers in the public school system.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by replacing all references to "the tuition reimbursement recipient", and other terms as well, with the term "person" to clarify that reimbursement payments begin after employment as a full-time teacher, not while the recipient is a "student", and to make the use of terminology consistent. Additionally, technical, nonsubstantive changes have been made for the purpose of clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your

Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2558, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2558, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair