THE SENATE
S.B. NO.
2488
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020
S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII
A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO TEACHER COMPENSATION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers is essential to the success of Hawaii's public education system. The State continues to face a chronic teacher shortage, which undermines student learning and achievement. For the 2018-2019 school year, the department of education experienced a qualified teacher shortage of one thousand twenty nine positions.
The legislature further finds research indicates that competitive and equitable compensation correlates with greater success in recruiting and retaining qualified educators. Yet, numerous studies have shown that Hawaii's teacher salaries are the lowest in the nation when adjusted for the State's high cost of living. The legislature further finds that an increasing number of school districts around the country are utilizing compensation methods and strategies designed to improve the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers.
The legislature further finds that teacher salaries are unequal when experienced senior teachers are aligned with less senior teachers in their placement within the existing salary schedules. Unfair pay scales have driven experienced senior teachers to either retire early or leave the profession, due to the perception that their experience and dedication to public education and the teaching profession will never be adequately valued and recognized.
The purpose of this Act is to appropriate $25,000,000, on a one time, non-recurring basis, to fund teacher compensation as negotiated and executed as a memorandum of agreement on teacher compensation between the superintendent of education and Hawaii State Teachers Association Bargaining Unit five.
SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $25,000,000, on a one time, non-recurring basis, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2020-2021 to fund teacher compensation as negotiated between the superintendent of education and Hawaii State Teachers Association Bargaining Unit five in a memorandum of agreement that includes:
(1) An experimental modernization project pursuant to section 78-3.5 to address compensation equity issues and to make the necessary discretionary salary adjustments for approximately six thousand three hundred experienced senior teachers by recognizing their professional service to the department of education through discretionary salary adjustments; or
(2) Additional teacher pay for the areas of special education, hard-to-staff geographic locations, and Hawaiian language immersion programs; or
(3) Some combination of paragraph (1) and paragraph (2);
provided that the moneys shall not be released until the memorandum of agreement is signed by the superintendent of education and Hawaii State Teachers Association bargaining unit five.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2020.
Report Title:
Department of Education; Teacher Compensation; Experimental Modernization Project; Appropriation
Description:
Appropriates $25,000,000 on a non-recurring basis to fund teacher compensation as negotiated and executed between the Superintendent of education and Hawaii State Teachers Association Bargaining Unit 5 for an experimental modernization project pursuant to section 78-3.5, or special education, hard-to-staff geographic locations, and Hawaiian language immersion programs, or some combination thereof. (SD1)
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.