STAND. COM. REP. NO. 780

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 873

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 873, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Education (Department) to create the categories of qualified pre-school teachers and pre-school teacher aides to be applied to the hiring of pre-school teachers and pre-school aides for the junior kindergarten program beginning with the 2007-2008 school year.

The measure also requires the Hawaii teacher standards board to develop standards for teachers and teacher aides assigned to junior kindergarten classrooms beginning with the 2007-2008 school year.

Your Committee finds that it is critical to create conditions that foster learning and will enable young children to succeed in their initial and future school experiences. Your Committee believes that, in junior kindergarten, qualified pre-school teachers and pre-school aides with specialized training can provide the best instruction for children in this age group. This measure will ensure that qualified pre-school teachers and pre-school aides are hired for junior kindergarten classrooms.

Upon further review, your Committee amended this measure to clarify that the Department shall create categories for pre-school teachers and pre-school aides, and adopt standards for teachers and teacher aides, assigned to junior kindergarten to be applied beginning with the 2007-2008 school year. Technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for clarity and style.

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 S.B. No. 873, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 873, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair