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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
65 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
requesting the department of education to partner with the hawaii state teachers' association and teacher education programs AT LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES to provide pathways for school support personnel to become full-time teachers.
WHEREAS, the State is suffering from a severe shortage of licensed teachers; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Education has two hundred fifty-eight public schools that serve more than one hundred sixty-eight thousand students and employs twenty-two thousand teachers, librarians, counselors, educational offers, and other school support staff; and
WHEREAS, in the 2021-2022 academic year, the Department of Education experienced a 12.3 percent increase in public school teacher turnover, with nine hundred twenty teachers who resigned and three hundred ten teachers who retired; and
WHEREAS, school support staff, such as aides and service staff, are also experiencing a high rate of turnover, with nine hundred thirty-eight school support staff who left the Department of Education in the 2021-2022 academic year; and
WHEREAS, certain school support personnel, such as education assistants, para-professional teachers, part-time teachers, and extended hire substitute teachers play a critical role in the classroom by assisting teachers with instruction and one-to-one support for students with special needs; and
WHEREAS, while school support personnel have extensive experience with instructional delivery, classroom operation, and pedagogy, many school support personnel who choose to enroll in teacher certification programs do not receive course credit for their classroom work and experience; and
WHEREAS, school support personnel must sacrifice a semester of income to complete required student teaching experiences as a requirement to complete teacher education programs that award teacher certification; and
WHEREAS, school support personnel who are pursuing careers as full-time teachers would benefit from being able to earn course credit for their work in the classroom, and by providing more convenient pathways to obtain the requisites to become a full-time teacher more individuals may become interested in pursuing teaching careers, which would help the State's current teacher shortage; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to partner with the Hawaii State Teachers' Association and Hawaii teacher education programs to provide pathways for school support personnel to become full-time teachers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to target educational assistants, para-professional teachers, extended hire substitute teachers, and part-time teachers for the full-time teacher pathway; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to collaborate with higher education partners across the State to develop pathways that allow students with relevant work experience in a school support personnel role to be credited for work experience towards required course credits; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, Chair of the Board of Education, President of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, President of the University of Hawaii, President of Chaminade University of Honolulu, President of Hawaii Pacific University, and President of Brigham Young University Hawaii.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Department of Education; Support Staff; Full-Time Positions; Teacher Education; Teacher Retention