THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	144
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ENSURE GOOD FAITH IMPLEMENTATION OF ITS DOCTORAL EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY STIPEND AGREEMENTS AND TO ESTABLISH AND FUND APPROPRIATE EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST POSITIONS CONSISTENT WITH CONTRACTUAL COMMITMENTS.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Department of Education (hereinafter "department") entered into a Contract and Promissory Note in partnership with Chaminade University to address the shortage of qualified licensed mental health providers in Hawai i’s public schools; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Contract expressly states that stipends were awarded to individuals pursuing a Doctorate in Education in Educational Psychology whose professional class specifications focus on the delivery of essential interventions to students with intensive mental health needs; and

 

     WHEREAS, under the terms of the Contract, stipend recipients agreed to complete sixty (60) credits toward a Doctorate in Education in Educational Psychology, obtain licensure through the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs as a Mental Health Counselor or related license, and commit to three (3) years of full-time employment with the Department as an Educational Psychologist or other agreed upon capacity as the Department determines; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Contract further provides that if the Department is unable to place a qualified recipient in a full-time Educational Psychologist or other agreed upon capacity, the recipient shall not be held responsible for time that passes until such a position is offered; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department has created a position titled “Mental Health Interventionist,” which may not fully reflect the doctoral-level preparation and educational psychology specialization contemplated by the stipend program; and

 

     WHEREAS, concerns have been raised that such positions have not been made widely available throughout the Department’s system, potentially limiting the Department’s ability to fulfill its workforce commitments and to maximize the benefit of doctoral-level training; and

 

     WHEREAS, ensuring that contractual obligations are implemented in good faith promotes workforce stability, fiscal accountability, and fairness to professionals who relied upon representations made in exchange for multi-year service commitments; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawai i continues to face a significant shortage of qualified school-based mental health professionals to meet the intensive needs of students statewide; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the Hawaii State Department of Education is requested to:

 

1.  Provide the Legislature with a report detailing:

a. The number of stipend recipients under the Doctoral Educational Psychology program;

b. The number of established Educational Psychologist positions within the Department;

c. The number and geographic distribution of Mental Health Interventionist positions;

d. How the duties and class specifications of the Mental Health Interventionist position compare to those of an Educational Psychologist; and

e. The Department’s plan to ensure appropriate placement consistent with the contractual commitments made to stipend recipients;

2.  Evaluate whether the current Mental Health Interventionist classification appropriately reflects doctoral-level educational psychology training and licensure;

3.  Identify funding and position authority necessary to expand Educational Psychologist positions statewide to meet both student mental health needs and contractual workforce commitments; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department is requested to submit its report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2027; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Department of Education Superintendent of Education, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, and the President of Chaminade University.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

 

 

 

Report Title: 

Educational Psychology, Stipend Program; Department of Education