Report Title:

Parent-community Networking Center Programs

 

Description:

Appropriates funds for the establishment of new parent-community networking centers and for the further development of existing centers. (HB94 HD1)

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

94

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to parent-community networking center programs.

 

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that there are four phases of development in a comprehensive parent-community networking center (PCNC) system of support for students, parents, and teachers. Phases I and II begin with the establishment of a PCNC at the school-building level. Part-time PCNC facilitators would offer parents, students, and others in the community many opportunities to relate with one another and heighten the awareness of each other's strengths and needs. These members of the community will learn from and support each other, creating an overall sense of school and community ohana that is especially conducive to learning. Phases III and IV of this process focus on strengthening each classroom unit as a learning community where teachers and parents form meaningful partnerships to ensure student well-being and achievement of performance standards.

Evaluative reports indicate that the one hundred sixty-five PCNCs funded at $14,500 per school for phases I and II have:

(1) Improved school-community relations;

(2) Instilled positive attitude changes among teachers and parents; and

(3) Increased the numbers of parents involved in the education of Hawaii's youth.

PCNCs have generated four times the amount of resources and services that have been spent on them, making PCNCs the most cost-effective program in the department of education.

However, funding for phases I and II of PCNCs is uneven across the state. In many schools, PCNC funding is minimal or absent. There are forty-five schools that receive only $3,300 a year each, and forty-six schools have no funding at all. Therefore, the primary goal of this Act is to ensure that every public school (with the exception of Keanae in Maui and Niihau of Kauai District, which both have a very small student body), has at least $14,500 for a PCNC program at the school-building level to fund an initial part-time school PCNC parent facilitator and equipment, a telephone, and supplies.

The legislature further finds that the more mature PCNCs must move into phases III and IV of development where teacher-parent partnerships are forged at the classroom level by the teacher and volunteer classroom parent. To establish a model of the process to implement phases III and IV, the state-level family support services PCNC office collaborated with the principal of Kapunahala elementary school to expand the PCNC staff in fiscal year 1997-98 with another part-time temporary teacher position (classroom parent coordinator/trainer) at the cost of $12,200 per year. Satisfying teacher-parent partnerships at the classroom level while fostering a highly supportive sense of community at the school-building level has resulted in higher student achievement in each of the past three years as indicated by a three-year longitudinal report of student SAT scores.

The legislature also finds that there is overwhelming research evidence of the critical need for an integrated, comprehensive system of family support, parent education, teacher-parent partnerships, and volunteer and resource development at the neighborhood/school and classroom/family levels. Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to the department of education for the establishment of new PCNC sites and programs, and for the development of existing PCNC sites and programs.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001-2002 and $1 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2002-2003 for parent-community networking centers to be expended as follows:

(1) $ to the forty-five schools currently funded at $3,300 per year for parent-community networking centers;

(2) $ to the forty-three schools that currently do not receive funds for parent-community networking centers;

(3) $ for sixteen part-time classroom parent coordinators (for eight elementary and eight intermediate school sites in phases III and IV);

(4) $ to establish a new twelve-month family support resource teacher position for program and staff development;

(5) $ to change the existing ten-month resource teacher position to a twelve-month position;

(6) $ for a district coordinator/trainer position in Kona; and

(7) $ for program research and development including:

(A) Parent curriculum development;

(B) Standards for parents as partners in education;

(C) Evaluation tools;

(D) Data collection; and

(E) Analysis of data in program effectiveness and student achievement.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2001.