CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 9-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 3238

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

C.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 3238, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this Act is to:

(1) Implement education reform and decentralization measures;

(2) Establish a weighted student formula for providing operating moneys to individual public schools.

Your Committee finds that the time has come to enact a public education improvement act of historical importance. Both bodies of this Legislature have labored carefully throughout the Regular Session of 2004 to craft equally ambitious initiatives. Similarly, the ongoing efforts of both bodies addressed the critical need for their measures to be coordinated packages, linking together the weighted student formula, information technology, principals, teachers, students, community involvement, and accountability into a unified whole. Without such a holistic approach, any effort would be far less likely to improve the academic achievement, safety and well being, and civic responsibility of students. To make such an improvement is the motivating force behind this entire measure.

There are three elements in this measure which were common to both the Senate and House versions, which represent major changes in the public educational system. These are the weighted student formula, school community councils, and the transfer of many key functions from various state agencies to the Department of Education.

Under the weighted student formula, the relative cost of educating students can be much more accurately assessed (based upon the unique learning needs of each student), funds follow students to whichever school they attend, and the budget process becomes more transparent.

Your Committee further finds that the charter school community made a collective decision that their funding allocation should not be made under the weighted student formula. Out of respect for this decision, new century charter schools and new century conversion charter schools are excluded from the weighted student formula, although this does not preclude them from coming under the weighted student formula at a future date. Your Committee further finds that the committee on weights may want to consider developing a five year plan by which the percentage of funding allocated under the weighted student formula could be gradually increased over time.

The school community councils, which will be established at each public school, excluding new century charter schools and new century conversion charter schools, will work together with the principal regarding the school's academic and financial plans, as well in other areas to improve the school. Although this will significantly enhance community involvement in schools, principals will still remain empowered to exercise the authority they must legitimately retain if they are to be held accountable for school performance. To empower principals in their enhanced role as educational leaders, a Hawaii Principals Academy will be established to provide the necessary support and training.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives also agreed upon the need to transfer a number of important functions carried out by other state agencies for the Department of Education to the department, to enhance autonomy and operating efficiency.

Your Committee has amended existing provisions in the measure by:

(1) Structuring the Teacher National Board Certification Incentive Program so that $1,500 shall be provided upon completing the certification program of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and providing the remainder of the application fee reimbursement upon achieving national board certification;

(2) Expanding the contents of a report from the Department of Education to the next Legislature to encompass all of the salient elements affected by the implementation of this measure, rather than just the weighted student formula;

(3) Appropriating $2,500,000 for mathematics textbooks and other mathematics learning materials in schools, provided that mathematics curriculum is aligned within the school complex, instead of $3,000,000 for textbooks in general;

(4) Refining those key functions to be transferred from specified state agencies by particular dates to facilitate a smooth delinking process; and

(5) Reinstating original statutory language allowing for the carryover of funds within the budget of the schools to which they were originally allocated, and reducing the Department of Education's carry over of funds from ten to five percent.

Your Committee has also amended the measure by adding the following new provisions:

(1) Requiring the Department of Education to provide supplementary allocations to those schools whose budgets are adversely affected by the weighted student formula for no more than three years beginning with the 2006-2007 school year;

(2) Appropriating $2,000,000 to the Department of Education to facilitate field support, security and privacy for the telecommunications network, and training regarding information technology infrastructure used to enhance accountability, compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and implementation of school reform including the weighted student formula;

(3) Appropriating $400,000 to compensate principals recalled to work by the department, outside of their regular term of service, for professional development and any other activities that may enhance their effectiveness as leaders of their schools;

(4) Appropriating $100,000 for programs that support parents in working with students who need additional help to succeed in school, provided the programs have measurable outcomes;

(5) Appropriating $400,000 for the piloting of school community councils and development of academic and financial plans at selected schools prior to the statewide implementation of the weighted student formula;

(6) Requiring the:

(A) Department of Education, with the invited participation of the exclusive bargaining agent of educational officers of the Department of Education, to propose salary schedules and other terms and conditions of employment of principals and vice principals based upon a twelve-month term of service, and report findings back to the Legislature; and

(B) Board of Education to classify all educational officer positions of the Department of Education to adopt two separate classification/compensation plans for educational officers, one for principals and vice principals (based on the general pattern of a school administrator's career development and associated school administrator's qualification requirements) and one for all other educational officers (reflective of the career development pattern and qualification requirements for the respective professional field of expertise), and including classification appeals procedures for both;

(7) Appropriating $500,000 for teacher education faculty positions at the University of Hawaii College of Education;

(8) Clarifying and refining the operational aspects of the component parts of this comprehensive reform initiative;

(9) Coming to agreement on appropriation figures; and

(10) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3238, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3238, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________

ROY TAKUMI, Co-Chair

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Co-Chair

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Co-Chair

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair

____________________________

K. MARK TAKAI, Co-Chair

____________________________

ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Co-Chair

____________________________

DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Co-Chair