Uh so we are moving [laughter] on. >> I should have on Senate Bill 2125 relating to teacher licensing. And this bill amends teacher licensing statutes to remove the three-year employment limit for unlicensed teachers hired on an emergency basis. requires unlicensed emergency hires to demonstrate continuous and verifiable progress toward meeting lensure requirements and strengthens reporting obligations to the board. And we have first up is the Department of Education, Superintendent Hayashi. Good afternoon, chair, vice chair, members of the committee. I'm Tammy Chun, deputy superintendent for the Department of Education. The Department of Education supports this bill. We appreciate Senator DOI's um initiative in bringing this forward. Um and just provide just a little background on emergency hired teachers. Emergency hired teachers are hired when a licensed teacher is not available. The emergency hired teachers serve on one-year contracts for up to three years. Um, emergency hired teachers must have a bachelor's degree and when they're in the classroom, they receive support for induction and mentoring that new teachers receive.
Um, but this is available for last meeting. I'm going to add PDFs for this meeting tomorrow or Monday. So that'll be available and we'll put a notice in the um information that we share in Kraton connection. All right. Um we're not going to go through too much. I just want to share that on your link we do have an analysis of 100th day class sizes. Um 100th day versus 40th day. [clears throat] Some of you may have already taken a look at this. Um, but our class sizes overall stayed pretty consistent. Um, we stayed at about a 23:1 effective ratio instead of a 27.5 to1, which is what we were staffing at. Um, so our numbers did decrease slightly uh with the number of students that are uh classes that are 30 students or more. Um so those decreased slightly and excellency actually stayed stable with their enrollment over the course of that time.
So, um, and there's been some some construction and and and, um, I'm glad that that we're kind of in a somewhat stable place with that, at least I hope, for a little while. Um, but I know that that has also been a challenge for for folks that are that are using the community center and that work in the community center every day. >> Ay just wanted to use her interior design skills. [laughter] Yeah, you rose to it. >> Just one one other quick um quick thought at when you look at the building from Route 135 on the left hand side, uh the outside uh patio area seems to have some issues of disrepair and and safety issues that uh that are concerning uh especially for the seniors. um that was was brought up to my attention a while back and I haven't seen anything you know discussed about that yet.
>> We're still paying them more than we are pair professionals with children. That was so the context of when they started this and I remember Northampton was about to go belly up because of homeless transportation and we had just got 50 CH homeless children and I'm the one who had them going or so many vans in front of my school like it was just open a door check the driver because we had it was a horrible time because all of a sudden Western Mass Northampton was in big trouble. Um, and that's when this was all discussed to keep us from being as bad as where Northampton because they were having out of >> because that's when the sweet started two guys in a van sweet transportation. >> Yeah. I think we're going to have to see what the report says from there. I mean, we can we can discuss this so we're blew in the face, but it's not going to get us >> March 2nd or 3 that Monday or Tuesday.
>> Thank you. >> I think that's a that's a challenge I think too with um we forget to self-promote and to and to pat ourselves on the back and and put it out there. It's um I think that's one of the biggest challenges that schools sometimes have especially if you don't have all the resources of some bigger districts where you have someone especially hired to you know take pictures and do press releases every 3 seconds. So it becomes you know it has to be that that priority of you know how do we make sure that all those great things are are getting out there so that everybody knows How do you see um how do you how would you describe relationships between town officials and school officials? We're working on it. Yeah, I would say that they're not as bad as they could be. They're certainly improving.
>> Okay. So, they're notified with plenty of time. >> They they are notified. Yes. Our uh at the close of every single um semester, students are aware of how many credits they work work on towards graduation. Um, Miss Harris, I'm looking at you. School counselors as a former school counselor meet with them very regularly. It is it there is they know, trust me, students know, parents know, I can assure you of that. We are even working on an improvement to our online platform to even show status and bars of like, look, you completed all your English, oh, you need more art, you need a music class, uh, to help with build that capacity. But this is not a secret to any student or family. Um, but I I just feel like we need to reflect that unfortunately there are situations in which a child is on track and oh my gosh they don't pass two classes um you know that uh senioritis so to speak creeps in on them and then we sometimes have to make those calls to families leading up to graduation which is very hard to do.
They receive professional development and they also get an annual evaluation. Emergency hired teachers are an important way to meet the immediate needs for our classrooms and it's a pipeline for our state residents into teaching. The bill extends the number of years that an emergency hire can teach and the department of education is committed to developing the teacher pipeline so that we can develop more of the emergency hire teachers into licensed teachers. Thank you. >> Okay, next up we have Felicia Villa Lobus for teacher standard board. >> Good afternoon chair, vice chair, members of the committee. My name is Felicia V Lobos. the executive director of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board testifying on behalf of the board. [clears throat] The board submitted written testimony in opposition of this bill. The Hawaii Teacher Standards Board respectfully opposes Senate Bill 2125 due to the concerns about its duration and the learning loss and academic gaps experienced by students taught by emergency hires who lack full preparation and credentials.
So all the withdrawals enrollments and withdrawals enrollments Excellency was the only school that didn't see a change either positive or negative. So that's available for you to look at. Yes sir. >> Um I noticed at the bottom of the 100 day chart some of the schools are highlighted. >> Yes. >> What's up with that? those schools are uh those highlights are for preschool programs. So I was I was I have a different look and I can add that to about the numbers in preschool but for our class size allocation that's it was more relevant to try to figure out where those preschool programs were. Not that we needed to figure it out but to identify them quickly. Thank you. There was a question about contractors that are paraprofessionals because we have increased the use of paraprofessional a agencies that supply pair professionals to us in our mostly our self-contained programs uh regional special education programs.
So hopefully that's part of your presentation as well. So I look forward to that as well. Thank you. >> I didn't want to take everybody's time by repeating what but I certainly have heard about the food pantry issues and also some space issues in general for I think the recreation department and being able to support kids I think particularly in foul weather during the summer months. Thank you. Okay, so now we're going to talk about some of the challenges. Some maybe what you've already discussed um and what you've heard. So there's insufficient office and meeting spaces. So the current layout uh certainly hinders staff and limits program capacity and this plan creates dedicated workspaces and flexible meeting areas. So right now, as I mentioned before, there's no dedicated meeting space for staff to meet or meet with residents confidentially um on a regular basis. So meetings typically have to be shuffled around due to activities or whatnot.
Those are the days, right? >> Okay. >> I like this time on Tuesday. >> Okay. This time on Tuesday. So, do we want to check with Becky to see because of the way the month shook out uh March 3rd. So, pretty much just changed the two to a three and we've got the scheduling done. >> 11:30. Yep. Okay. or >> you said March 3rd possibly. >> March 3rd. >> 11:30. >> Yep. 11. >> Wonderful. Okay. Um in that case, unless someone has anything that they need to say or something they want added to the agenda for that one, uh we would have a motion to adjurnn. >> So second. >> All in favor? >> I. And we are adjourned at 12:33. Uh, thank you for this amazing, entertaining broadcast. Come back next month for the cliffhanger resolution.
Their lines of communication are open. You know, no one is stonewalling anyone else. Um, and I think that the point about having, for instance, budget documents that are just accessible that that are very clearly laid out, that is one example of ways that we could improve communication through just being transparent even more, you know. Um, so nobody is Yeah, we're we're not fighting, >> but I do think that there could be more regular communication that happens. That's my take on it. >> Great. >> Thank you. >> I think that we've entered um a new era recently and I have really high hopes for change. Um I think that we have some brand new city councilors that are very interested in learning about school funding and are very interested in working with us. And in past years, we haven't had any communication with city officials. There was just no talk across lines.
Of course we work with them. We give them plenty of warning and lots of opportunities and we are as much invested in their completion as they are. Um, but there are circumstances in which it does come down to the wire, for lack of better terms, >> right? >> Part of what we do with uh policies is to make sure that we're as explicit as we can be because sometimes these questions will come forward from um families or from parents or from students. Um and having a specific area of a policy to point to and say, "Hey, you know, this is how things are supposed to work and this is what we're permitted, you know, right to do and how we're permitted to operate." It can be helpful in diffusing um difficult conversations. >> Yes, >> understood. I'm trying to do this on the fly, but um shall be notified ongoing and no later than one week prior to schedule graduation activities.
Long-term reliance on emergency permits allows positions to be filled without the credentials, training, and experience necessary to protect instructional quality and student services. Emergency hire permits are intended to address short-term urgent staffing needs when no qualified candidates are immediately available. Extending these permits beyond 3 years fundamentally changes this purpose and it's no longer an emergency. It effectively functions as a permanent appointment. While many Mercy hires are hardworking, well-intentioned, well-intentioned, limited preparation can result in less effective instruction, weaker classroom management, and reduced ability to identify and address student learning needs. These concerns are especially significant when that most emergency hires are in the underserved communities. Currently, there are over a thousand emergency hires in Hawaii and a large amount amount of these emergency hires are concentrated in elementary K6 and SMED where students are at critical stages of development. In the elementary grades, foundational skills such as reading, writing, and math are particularly vulnerable.
Um so I just created the same view that I did for classif or for certified u compared to last year and this is the information that we have. What I did want to note is that we have already bought out three the company Zen. So we bought out three Zen pair professionals at a cost to the district of about $8,000 um for all three employees. So, Zen does a a a model where if an employee works with us starting on day one and they work 50 days and they're going to prorrate what our buyout is based on the amount of time that they've been with us. So, if it most of these three were right at the beginning of the school year, so that was a higher cost. Um, but if we get closer to the end of the school year, that would be a lower cost for buyout.
And we don't have enough space for the staff that we currently have. So in our recreation department, we are short one office space and we currently have two employees sharing a very small space. And then moving to our prevention and human services team, our case manager currently doesn't have an office space and is sitting in a hallway. Our youth um coordinator currently sits at the school when school is in session. And so this plan, which we'll talk about the details a little bit later, will allow for a space for this physician to sit a couple days um per week during the year and then also during school breaks including the summer. And so I really want to just touch on this a little bit because this will be a gamecher for us. So, this will give us another set of hands to assist at the food pantry.
And now we have that. So I think that if we step up to the plate as a committee and create avenues and experiences um for them to interact with us, I think they will hopefully do the same. and I look forward to having lots of joint meetings with them across um complimentary subcommittees. So I think that we're on the path towards that being really positive. Uh but we have not begun that work yet. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So I just I do want to I want to answer one question from earlier today if that's okay. So, there was a question asked at the meet and greet that we didn't have time for around um growth mindset and and and how do you kind of go about instilling or putting forward or teaching, I guess, a a fostering a a growth mindset amongst staff. And, you know, it's we've it's it's one of those things where, you know, I I thought about that all day.
I think communicates the we'll let we'll let you know throughout the process, but that hard fast one week before is important. Yes, >> like the language I'd say is ongoing is that's a good thing. So it would read the entire policy as is here. We would add in number one, number four, and a revised number five from the previous policy which talks about the superintendent establishing the date form uh present and former board of ed members participating in the uh distribution of the diplomas and then the senior class activities was number five. Um, we would then make this small language change here which would uh be reflective of our current practices and then continue on to really talk about the details of um you know uh any design uh recognition of validictorian saludiatoran um and then the provision if there was any need to maybe remove someone due to conduct or behavioral issues.
Inadequate instruction can lead to regression in learning loss rather than progress over multiple years. This learning loss can compounds and can have everlasting effects on students academic growth. especially for students with disabilities who require specialized instruction, legal compliance, and consistent, highly trained teachers. Research consistently shows that licensed teachers are associated with higher student achievement and stronger long-term academic and social emotional outcomes. >> Can you summarize, please? I just want to say that uh this is going to have long-term consequences because uh the concentrated emergency hires are in elementary and sped and if they're untrained that compounds there's a four to six month learning loss for every time they're they're taught by an uh emergency hire teacher. Thank you. >> I'm sure we'll have questions so please stick around. Yes. Um, Yukio, sorry, Yuko. Uh, cross. Aloha, Chair Kim, Vice Chair Kedani, and members of the committee.
So, as you're looking at that, any questions about the information what I can uh share, so it might be a little confusing. FTE calculation for pair professionals is different depending on which program you're in. So some of the self-contained regional programs are a 0.9 FTE which means they work 36 hours a week. Some of them are 39h hour a week employees which is 975. So what I did was I tried to normalize and calculate just based on 1.0 FTE. So it was a little bit cleaner to look at the numbers and the overall cost impact. So when you look all the way to the right with the amount of money that we're spending on contractors, we're really looking at about two FTEEs for the classified staff. >> Yes. How many 1.0 positions? Some of them are 0.9, some are.975. So I just equalized it. So effectively two positions, two full-time 40 hours, so 80 hours.
It will allow for greater team collaboration for programming during the summer months and then also planning for the upcoming school year. This plan will also allow for space for our social work intern. And so, this learning and partnership with higher education is is invaluable to our staff. So, the two interns that we've had since I've been here, so they're here two semesters out of their school year, um have been lovely. They not only help us administratively, uh they assist our social worker and case manager in their work. They're an extra set of hands to help in the food pantry, answer phone calls, help with our holiday program, all while gaining real world experience. And then um the food pantry. So I know you all talked about the food pantry. So this space is in need of a refresh and reorganization uh for the benefit of our residents and the safety of our staff and our dedicated volunteers.