STAND. COM. REP. NO. 782

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1221

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1221, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STUDENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Education to reduce the student to teacher ratio for grades kindergarten to five.

In addition, the measure provides funding:

(1) For the reductions;

(2) To hire part-time teachers, tutors, or both for public elementary and intermediate schools; and

(3) To hire additional part-time teachers, aides, or both when the one-to-twenty-six student to teacher ratio is exceeded in grades three to five in public schools.

Your Committee believes that students attending public schools should have the best learning environment possible to foster and encourage their learning. Research shows that students from small classes out-perform students from larger classes, are less likely to be retained in a grade, more actively participate in class, and are less likely to be referred to special education. Teachers also benefit from a smaller class size as they are better able to devote more time to each student, which can produce positive effects on student achievement and significantly impact the education of disadvantaged children.

Upon further review, your Committee amended this measure by:

(1) Including unspecified appropriations for the second year (2006-2007) of the fiscal biennium in sections 4 and 5 of the measure;

(2) Changing the appropriation amounts in sections 6 and 7 to unspecified amounts; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1221, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1221, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair