STAND. COM. REP. NO. 428________

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 524
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

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

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds to increase
the number of college/career counselors in public secondary
schools.

     Specifically, this bill appropriates enough funding to allow
each public secondary school to have at least one college/career
counselor and to reduce the student-to-counselor ratio to 300:1,
a standard recommended by the American School Counselor
Association.

     Your Committee finds that the current student-to-counselor
ratio in the public schools is 377:1.  Lowering the ratio to the
optimal 300:1 is essential for the Department of Education to
meet the growing needs of children and families, and to further
address the mandated obligations placed on school counselors.

     Your Committee has made technical, nonsubstantive amendments
for the purpose of style and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your

 
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                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 428________
                                 Page 2

 
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
524, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 524, H.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   KEN ITO, Chair

 
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