STAND. COM. REP. 2271

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 2321

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2321 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHER'S AIDES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funding to establish a teacher's aide pilot program on Kauai.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, a marriage, family and child therapist, a third grade teacher from Kapaa Elementary School, five parents of children in Kauai public schools, and a former professor at Kauai Community College, as well as testimony in support signed by twenty-six teachers from Hanalei Elementary School, forty teachers from Waimea Canyon Elementary School, fifty-one teachers from King Kaumualii Elementary School, and forty-one teachers from King Wilcox Elementary School.

Your Committee finds that the federal No Child Left Behind Act mandates that every child be reading at the third grade level by the end of third grade. This requirement is unprecedented since classroom instruction has been historically underpinned by bell-curved expectations for students – some exceeding, many meeting, and some not meeting third grade benchmarks by the end of third grade. This measure seeks to assist those young readers who need intensive small group or individual instruction to meet the new reading standards imposed by the No Child Left Behind Act.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2321 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair