STAND. COM. REP. NO. 424

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1147

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1147 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHING LICENSURE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to evaluate and facilitate the teaching licensure standards in the State to ensure that effective teachers from outside the State receive Hawaii teaching licenses.

 

     Specifically, this measure creates a Teacher Education Coordination Committee, established by the College of Education of the University of Hawaii to review the licensure worthiness of teachers who:

 

     (1)  Possess out-of-state teaching licenses;

 

     (2)  Are from states without full licensure acceptance by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board; and

 

     (3)  Received either national or state awards for teaching excellence, such as a national certification or a teacher of the year award, or provide evidence of a minimum of five years of excellent or exceptional teacher evaluations and a professional portfolio.

 

     Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Education, the University of Hawaii, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, and the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board.

 

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii's schools and their students can benefit greatly from the licensure of qualified teachers from outside of the State.  The ability to license effective teachers from outside of Hawaii is particularly important during times of teacher shortages.  Your Committee further finds that the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board has indicated that it has been conducting public hearings on proposed changes to its licensing requirements with regard to the licensing of out-of-state teacher-applicants.  Your Committee expresses concern that the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board has made similar representations in the past that action would be undertaken to license teachers with out-of-state licenses in Hawaii without ensuing results.

 

     However, in light of the foregoing, your Committee believes that this measure should be amended to focus on those out-of-state teachers not contemplated in the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board's proposed changes, but who should be licensed based on other criteria.  Your Committee finds that due consideration should be given to teachers who have received national or state awards for teaching excellence or have otherwise demonstrated a record of excellent or exceptional teacher evaluations.  These teachers would also be subject to the same license renewal requirements as all other teachers licensed in Hawaii.  A separate body should be established within the Department of Education and comprised of teachers and principals who have themselves demonstrated a record of teaching excellence through recognition by state or national organizations such as the Milken Family Foundation.  With regard to the testimony submitted in opposition to this measure, your Committee determines that the provisions of this measure should be repealed in five years to help ensure that the program will be reevaluated.

 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the name of the committee to the Exceptional Teacher License Recognition Committee;

 

     (2)  Requiring the Department of Education to establish the Exceptional Teacher License Recognition Committee to review and deliberate on licensure worthiness of teachers who are licensed outside of Hawaii and have received either national or state awards for teaching excellence, or provide evidence of a minimum of five years of excellent or exceptional teacher evaluations and a professional portfolio;

 

     (3)  Deleting provisions requiring the Exceptional Teacher License Recognition Committee to consider the licensure of teachers who:

 

          (A)  Possess out-of-state teaching licenses; or

 

          (B)  Are from states without full licensure acceptance by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board;

 

     (4)  Requiring the Exceptional Teacher License Recognition Committee to be comprised of at least five teachers and principals, appointed by the Superintendent of Education, who have received state or national recognition for having demonstrated exceptional educational talent;

 

     (5)  Providing for the repeal the Exceptional Teacher License Recognition Committee on July 1, 2012; and

 

     (6)  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. 1147, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1147, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair