REPORT TITLE: 
DOE Speech Pathologists


DESCRIPTION:
Limits the caseload of department of education speech
pathologists to 40 students. (HB2915 HD1)


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        2915
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO EDUCATION.



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

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature has long recognized the positive
 
 2 correlation between the number of students being serviced by a
 
 3 teacher, and the effectiveness of those services being rendered.
 
 4 However, the ratio of speech pathologists to special education
 
 5 students requiring their services has never been addressed
 
 6 statutorily.  Department of education speech pathologists often
 
 7 contend with caseloads of seventy-five or more special education
 
 8 students.  These heavy caseloads have two main detrimental
 
 9 results.  First, they result in the deterioration of the services
 
10 provided by the speech pathologists.  Secondly, the heavy work
 
11 load and the frustration of providing less than optimal services
 
12 to the students results in the early burn-out of service
 
13 providers and retention and recruitment difficulties for the
 
14 department of education.
 
15      The purpose of this Act is to improve services to special
 
16 education students by:
 
17      (1)  Limiting the caseloads of department of education
 
18           speech pathologists to forty special education
 
19           students; and 
 

 
Page 2                                                     2915
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      (2)  Varying the caseloads based on the type of disability,
 
 2           the severity of disability, and the type and amount of
 
 3           services required by a given speech pathologists'
 
 4           students.
 
 5      SECTION 2.  Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 6 amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated
 
 7 and to read as follows:
 
 8      "§302A-    Speech pathologists in the department of
 
 9 education.  The caseload of each speech pathologist in the
 
10 department of education shall consist of no more than forty
 
11 special education students.  The caseload of speech pathologists
 
12 shall also be varied based on the type of disability, the
 
13 severity of disability, and the type and amount of services
 
14 required by a given speech pathologist's students."
 
15      SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
16 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1 or so much thereof
 
17 as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001 to be used to limit
 
18 the caseloads of department of education speech pathologists to
 
19 forty special education students.
 
20      The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of
 
21 education for the purposes of this Act.
 
22      SECTION 4.  New statutory material is underscored.
 
23      SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2000.