REPORT TITLE:
Educational Accountability


DESCRIPTION:
Establishes an interagency educational accountability working
group to review agency administrative rules, policies,
procedures, and practices and temporarily suspends such to
support improved accountability for educational resources.  (HD1)

 
a                                                        00-1074
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        1874
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that an accountability
 
 2 system involving the process of accepting responsibility and
 
 3 being answerable for one's actions, should motivate and support
 
 4 improved performance.  An effective accountability system clearly
 
 5 links authority and adequate resources to responsibility; defines
 
 6 clear lines of responsibility and mutual obligation; and requires
 
 7 continuous inspection of how well our system and our schools are
 
 8 supporting student attainment of statewide standards.  This
 
 9 inspection should lead to recommendations and actions in a
 
10 continuous improvement cycle.
 
11      The legislature further finds that those most responsible
 
12 for the success of our public education system are the board of
 
13 education and the superintendent of education, and therefore,
 
14 they should be held most accountable for educational outcomes.
 
15 However, because Hawaii maintains a statewide school system,
 
16 responsibility for various support functions for our public
 
17 education system are assigned to myriad state agencies.  The
 
18 legislature further finds that among these agencies, there are
 
19 competing goals and objectives that can impede the efficiency and
 

 
a                                                        00-1074
Page 2                                                     1874
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 effectiveness of our public schools.  It is necessary, therefore,
 
 2 to review various agency functions and identify those which may
 
 3 be impeding educational success and achievement of statewide
 
 4 standards.
 
 5      Thus, the purpose of this Act is to establish an interagency
 
 6 educational accountability working group to review agency
 
 7 administrative rules, policies, procedures, and practices and
 
 8 temporarily suspend these to support improved accountability for
 
 9 educational resources.
 
10      SECTION 2.  (a)  There is established within the department
 
11 of education, an interagency educational accountability working
 
12 group.  Specifically, the working group shall:
 
13      (1)  Review all pertinent agency rules, policies,
 
14           procedures, and practices to identify those which are
 
15           impeding educational system restructuring and
 
16           reallocation of educational resources;
 
17      (2)  Beginning with the 2001-2003 fiscal biennium, establish
 
18           a two-year suspension of all rules, policies,
 
19           procedures, and practices to allow the department of
 
20           education to restructure and reallocate its resources
 
21           to support student achievement; and
 
22      (3)  Submit an annual report to the 2001 and 2002 regular
 
23           sessions of the legislature regarding the progress of
 

 
a                                                        00-1074
Page 3                                                     1874
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1           the working group and any legislative actions necessary
 
 2           to support the reorganization and reallocation of
 
 3           educational resources.
 
 4      (b)  The interagency working group shall be composed of:
 
 5      (1)  The governor or the governor's designee;
 
 6      (2)  The chair of the board of education or the chair's
 
 7           designee;
 
 8      (3)  The director of accounting and general services or the
 
 9           director's designee;
 
10      (4)  The attorney general or the attorney general's
 
11           designee;
 
12      (5)  The director of budget and finance or the director's
 
13           designee;
 
14      (6)  The superintendent of education or the superintendent's
 
15           designee;
 
16      (7)  The director of health or the director's designee;
 
17      (8)  The director of human resources development or the
 
18           director's designee;
 
19      (9)  The director of labor and industrial relations or the
 
20           director's designee; and
 
21     (10)  One representative each from the Hawaii State Teachers'
 
22           Association, the Hawaii Government Employees'
 
23           Association, the United Public Workers Local 646, and
 

 
a                                                        00-1074
Page 4                                                     1874
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1           the Hawaii State Parents, Teachers and Students
 
 2           Association.
 
 3      (c)  The chair of the working group shall be the
 
 4 superintendent of education, as the chief executive officer of
 
 5 the public school system.  The working group shall convene on a
 
 6 monthly basis, and shall focus its initial efforts on identifying
 
 7 agency rules, policies, procedures, and practices specifically in
 
 8 the areas of financial and human resource allocation and their
 
 9 effect on educational resources.  The working group shall develop
 
10 a list of the rules, policies, procedures, and practices that
 
11 shall be suspended beginning with the 2001-2003 fiscal biennium.
 
12      SECTION 3.  The working group shall submit a status report
 
13 to the legislature that shall include a summary of its activities
 
14 regarding the review of agency functions and identification of
 
15 rules, policies, procedures, and practices to be suspended no
 
16 later than twenty days prior to the the convening of the regular
 
17 session of 2001.  The working group shall submit a final report
 
18 to the legislature that shall include a summary of the activities
 
19 undertaken by the department of education in response to the
 
20 suspensions no later than twenty days prior to the convening of
 
21 the regular session of 2002.
 
22      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
 

 
a                                                        00-1074