STAND. COM. REP. NO.  689-12

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

 

RE:   H.C.R. No. 43

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 43 entitled:

 

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII TEACHER STANDARDS BOARD TO REVIEW RULES REGARDING LICENSING OF TEACHERS IN HAWAII WITH OUT-OF-STATE TEACHING LICENSES TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE BARRIERS TO THOSE TEACHERS BEING LICENSED IN HAWAII,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to help address the shortage of qualified teachers in Hawaii and improve the access to teaching in Hawaii for teachers with out-of-state teaching licenses by requesting the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to review rules regarding the licensing of teachers in Hawaii with out-of-state teaching licenses to determine if there are barriers to those teachers being licensed in Hawaii.

 

     The Hawaii State Teachers Association testified in support of this measure.  The Hawaii Teacher Standards Board testified in support of the intent of this measure.

 

     Currently, Hawaii is experiencing a shortage of public school teachers.  While enabling qualified teachers with out-of-state teaching licenses to obtain a teaching license in Hawaii would increase the number of qualified teachers in the State and work to address this shortage, concerns have been raised that teachers with out-of-state teaching licenses have experienced difficulties in obtaining such a license.  Your Committee finds that determining if barriers do exist to out-of-state licensed teachers obtaining a Hawaii teaching license is a first step in working to address this concern and addressing the teacher shortage in Hawaii.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 43 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Education.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

 

 

		____________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair