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.

SR144

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
Hawaiʻi�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,
Hawaiʻi
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