STAND. COM. REP. NO. 172-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 1941

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1941 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to create a Center for School Redesign (Center) at the University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa to provide training and staff development to public secondary schools to allow them to develop small schools and learning communities.

The University of Hawaii and Department of Education supported this bill. The Department of Budget and Finance and a concerned individual opposed the bill.

Your Committee finds that there is compelling evidence indicating that high school students in smaller schools achieve better than their peers in larger schools. Smaller high schools are able to develop learning communities that keep more students engaged in academics and other school activities, and that help them graduate and lead successful adult lives.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Replacing the UH Chancellor with the Dean of the College of Education as the authority that appoints the Director of the Center;

(2) Removing references to the exact salary of the Center Director;

(3) Changing the appropriation to $1 to encourage further discussion of this measure; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for consistency and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1941, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1941, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

 

____________________________

K. MARK TAKAI, Chair