REPORT TITLE:
Edu; Parent-Cmty Network'g Ctr


DESCRIPTION:
Appropriates general revenues to provide minimal start-up funds
to establish Parent-Community Networking Center programs and to
further enhance existing networking centers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                             
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           2600
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                     
STATE OF HAWAII                                                 
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO PARENT-COMMUNITY NETWORKING CENTER PROGRAMS.


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that there are four phases
 
 2 of development in a comprehensive Parent-Community Networking
 
 3 Center system of support for students, parents, and teachers.
 
 4 phases I and II begin with the establishment of a networking
 
 5 center at the school-building level.  A part-time facilitator for
 
 6 the networking center offers parents, students, and the community
 
 7 many opportunities to relate with one another, to heighten the
 
 8 awareness of their strengths and needs, and to learn and support
 
 9 each other.  This creates an over-all sense of 'ohana conducive
 
10 to learning.  Phases III and IV focus on strengthening each
 
11 classroom unit as a learning community where teachers and parents
 
12 form the most meaningful partnerships to ensure the students'
 
13 well-being and achievement of performance standards.
 
14      Evaluative reports indicate that the 157 networking centers
 
15 funded for $14,532 per school for phases I and II have improved
 
16 school-community relations, instilled positive attitudinal
 
17 changes among teachers and parents, and increased the numbers of
 
18 parents involved in the education of Hawaii's youth.  Having
 
19 generated resources and services for the schools four times the
 

 
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 1 amount spent on the program, the networking center is also the
 
 2 most cost-effective program in the department of education.
 
 3      Funding, for phases I and II, however, has been uneven
 
 4 throughout the State.  In many public schools, the networking
 
 5 center funding is dismal or nonexistent.  The Maui and Kauai
 
 6 districts do not have district coordinators.  Eight schools in
 
 7 Maui and Kauai are each funded $14,532 only for fiscal year 1999-
 
 8 2000.  Forty-five other schools receive only $3,300 each per
 
 9 year.  The remaining forty schools have no funding at all.
 
10      The legislature also finds that the more mature networking
 
11 centers must move into phases III and IV of development where
 
12 teacher-parent partnerships are forged at the classroom level by
 
13 the teacher and volunteer-room parent liaison.  To establish the
 
14 infrastructure and to begin that process, the state-level Family
 
15 Support Services/Parent-Community Networking Center office
 
16 identified a mature networking center site, collaborated with the
 
17 principal of Kapunahala Elementary and the school's family focus
 
18 group, expanded the networking center staff in fiscal year 1997-
 
19 1998 with another part-time temporary teacher position (Room
 
20 Parent Liaison Coordinator) at the cost of $11,232 per year.
 
21 Satisfying teacher-parent partnerships at the classroom level
 
22 bolstered with a highly supportive sense of community at the
 
23 school-building level plus other factors have resulted in higher
 

 
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                                     S.B. NO.           2600
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 student achievement as indicated by a longitudinal report of
 
 2 student SAT scores.
 
 3      Additionally, the legislature finds that teacher-parent
 
 4 partnerships generated at the classroom/family level (phases III
 
 5 and IV) nested in a larger school/neighborhood system of support
 
 6 (phases I and II) are critical in enhancing the personal and
 
 7 social development of students and in helping them attain the
 
 8 performance standards.  Having established strong networking
 
 9 centers, operating at the school-building level (phases I and
 
10 II), several elementary and middle schools, are ready to move on
 
11 to phases III and IV.
 
12      The purpose of this Act is to to provide funding to schools
 
13 without networking centers; to fully maximize existing networking
 
14 centers in an equitable manner; and to further develop existing
 
15 networking centers.
 
16      SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
17 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,328,332, or so much
 
18 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001, to fully
 
19 maximize the establishment of networking centers in an equitable
 
20 manner and to further develop existing networking centers as
 
21 follows:
 
22      $ 52,000  for two district coordinator positions, one each
 
23                on Maui and Kauai;
 

 
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 1      $ 99,756  to continue funding of networking center
 
 2                facilitators at King Kaumualii Elementary, Kapaa
 
 3                Middle School, Iao Intermediate, Maui Waena
 
 4                Intermediate, Maunaloa Elementary, Pukalani
 
 5                Elementary, Kamalii Elementary, and King Kekaulike
 
 6                High Schools of Kauai and Maui;
 
 7      $505,440  for 45 schools ($11,232 per school) that are
 
 8                currently funded at $3,300 a year;
 
 9      $581,280  for 40 schools ($14,532 per school), which have
 
10                not received any funds; and
 
11      $ 89,856  for eight part-time Parent Liaison Coordinators
 
12                ($11,232 per coordinator) to demonstrate the
 
13                efficacy of classroom-generated partnerships on
 
14                student well-being and achievements in these eight
 
15                schools, one per district plus Kona.
 
16      SECTION 3.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
17 department of education for the purposes of this Act.
 
18      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2000.
 
19 
 
20                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________