STAND. COM. REP. NO. 319

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1188

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1188 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Establish a STEM educator scholarship program to be administered by the Department of Education to address the shortage of STEM teachers in secondary schools in Hawaii; and

 

     (2)  Appropriate monies to fund the scholarship program.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from six individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education and University of Hawaii System.

 

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii has been experiencing teacher shortages over the last several years.  Your Committee further finds that the teacher shortage extends to many educational areas, including but not limited to STEM, special education, career and technical education, Hawaiian language immersion, English and reading, multilingual education, and hearing impaired education.  This measure will help new teachers complete their training and begin teaching Hawaii's students by providing them with financial assistance.

 

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the scholarship program to a stipend program;

 

     (2)  Broadening the program to apply to students enrolled in a state approved teacher education program rather than just a STEM-related program;

 

     (3)  Inserting language establishing a special fund for the stipend program; and

 

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

 

     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. 1188, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1188, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair