A study released this morning by State Auditor Marion Higa found that the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, the licensing agency for teachers in the state, is in a "state of confusion" and is "unable to deliver an effective licensing program" for the state.

Higa is recommending that laws granting the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board governing power be repealed and the state's licensing program be transferred to the state Board of Education

Higa says the standard board's lack of an effective licensing program puts the public school system's federal funding in jeopardy. The public school system has been struggling for the past seven years to meet the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation.

"The board has not applied new standards to teachers seeking initial license," Higa said. "Moreover, the executive director assumed the board's authority to approve new or initial licenses, which clouds the validity of approximately 3,800 licenses issued since 2003," she said.

The Hawaii Teacher Standards Board said it strongly disagrees with the findings.

"We are frankly stunned and saddened to see that the report demonstrates so little understanding of what's required to promote professionalism among teachers," said Jonathan Gillentine, Hawaii Teacher Standards Board Chairman and a teacher at Benjamin Parker Elementary School.

The audit found that the board has been exceeding its authority by extending licenses beyond the original authorization by the Legislature. Without the authority to extend licenses beyond 2003, Higa says that extended licenses expiring in 2005, 2006 and 2007 are invalid.

Any teacher holding invalid licenses would be considered emergency hires and not highly qualified according to NCLB requirements.