STAND. COM. REP. NO.2929

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.B. No. 2037

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 2037, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION REFORM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to decentralize Hawaii's public education system by:

(1) Abolishing the current Board of Education;

(2) Establishing fifteen school districts to be determined by a newly established district apportionment commission;

(3) Establishing a district board of education in each school district to implement the statewide educational policies formulated by the Superintendent of Education and to formulate and implement local district objectives;

(4) Providing that the Superintendent of Education shall formulate statewide educational policy and be responsible for the general supervision and management of the Department of Education;

(5) Providing that each school district board of education shall appoint a district administrator to assist the district board in implementing its directives;

(6) Specifying that the salary of the Superintendent of Education shall be set by the Governor within the range of $98,000 to $150,000;

(7) Convening a joint Senate and House of Representatives task force to review all education statutes to conform or implement the changes to the public education system provided in this measure and submit an interim report to the Legislature in 2003 and a final report in 2004; and

(8) Providing that this measure shall take effect on July 1, 2005, and upon the ratification of a constitutional amendment requiring the abolition of the Board of Education and the appointment of the Superintendent of Education by the Governor; provided that the provisions establishing the school district apportionment commission shall take effect upon approval and ratification of the same constitutional amendment.

Testimony supporting this measure was received from one individual. Opposing testimony was received from the Hawaii State Teachers Association and Hawaii Government Employees Association, HGEA/AFSCME, Local 152, AFL-CIO.

Your Committees find that Hawaii's public education system is in need of substantial and meaningful reform. Recent investigations into the effectiveness and efficiency of the Department of Education have revealed severe short-comings in instruction, federal and state law compliance, cost-effectiveness, responsiveness to the needs of the community, and the securing of public confidence. Your Committees believe that decentralization of Hawaii's public education system is the first step in ensuring that Hawaii's children receive a quality education.

However, your Committees prefer the restructuring scheme set forth in S.B. No. 2102, S.D. 1, and it's accompanying measure, S.B. No. 3018, S.D. 1.

S.B. No. 2102, S.D. 1, proposes constitutional amendments to change the governing structure of the public education system by:

(1) Establishing district boards of education throughout the State comprised of elected members to monitor and oversee educational policy within their respective educational districts; and

(2) Replacing the current elected statewide board of education with a statewide board comprised of the member representatives of the district boards of education to formulate statewide educational policy, appoint the superintendent of education, and ensure fair and equitable funding to each educational district.

S.B. No. 3018, S.D. 1, operates in tandem by establishing seven educational districts and requiring the first election of the members of the district boards of education to occur at the 2004 general election. Your Committees believe that the governing structure for Hawaii's public education system proposed by these two measures require further scrutiny but is a preferable framework for ensuring Hawaii's children receive a quality education.

Therefore, your Committees have amended this measure by replacing its contents with the provisions of S.B. No. 3018, S.D. 1.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2037, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2037, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Labor,

____________________________

BOB NAKATA, Chair

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair