REPORT TITLE:
Hawaiian Language; Funding


DESCRIPTION:
Appropriates funds for the Hawaiian language immersion program,
Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawaii.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.887        
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE EDUCATION.



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

 1      SECTION 1.  As one of the two official languages of the
 
 2 State of Hawaii, the legislature finds that the full use of the
 
 3 Hawaiian language in all facets of daily and civic life,
 
 4 including education, is a customary and traditional right that
 
 5 must be preserved and strengthened if the Hawaiian people are to
 
 6 remain a distinct and thriving culture.  This right is, in part,
 
 7 recognized through Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawai`i, the Hawaiian
 
 8 language immersion program within the department of education,
 
 9 which began in 1987 as a pilot program with only two sites and
 
10 approximately forty students.  After ten years of success,
 
11 instruction in the Hawaiian language is currently offered at
 
12 fourteen sites encompassing grades kindergarten through eleven
 
13 and enrolling 1,350 students throughout the State.  Further, this
 
14 year marks the very first graduating class of students educated
 
15 in the immersion program.
 
16      The legislature recognizes the immersion program as a model
 
17 for other native language immersion programs and praises the high
 
18 level of parental and community involvement.  Maintaining such a
 
19 growing program and ensuring that the curriculum and faculty
 

 
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 1 skills meet both the physical and educational needs of the
 
 2 students and their families has proven to be a task bigger than
 
 3 anyone anticipated.  As a result, the legislature, through the
 
 4 adoption of house concurrent resolution no. 281 in 1997,
 
 5 requested that the department of education, in conjunction with
 
 6 the Hawaiian language immersion advisory council, develop a long-
 
 7 range financial and operational plan to ensure the development of
 
 8 the immersion program.
 
 9      The legislature acknowledges that the following is needed to
 
10 create an optimum immersion environment:
 
11      (1)  Distinct immersion sites, grades kindergarten through
 
12           twelve, should foster not only language fluency but
 
13           `ohana relationships between students and teachers;
 
14      (2)  Trained professional teachers and staff coupled with
 
15           quality instructional materials are needed to provide
 
16           the foundation for any effective education program;
 
17      (3)  Lower student-to-teacher ratios are needed to allow
 
18           teachers to focus on individual student needs and
 
19           promote mentoring relationships between students and
 
20           teachers;
 
21      (4)  Transportation should be available to provide access to
 
22           immersion sites;
 

 
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 1      (5)  Teaching methods should be based upon Hawaiian cultural
 
 2           values and should reflect the importance of providing a
 
 3           varied language experience to the student.  In many
 
 4           cases, the student may not have the opportunity to
 
 5           converse in the language outside of the classroom;
 
 6      (6)  The allocation per student should be increased.  The
 
 7           greater the allocation per student, the greater the
 
 8           opportunities for the student, faculty, and the
 
 9           community;
 
10      (7)  Families of immersion students should directly support
 
11           their children's education through classroom
 
12           participation, assisting with curriculum development,
 
13           fundraising activities, and program advocacy.  As such,
 
14           innovative means of bringing the Hawaiian language to
 
15           the families need to be explored and cultivated; and
 
16      (8)  The immersion program should have provisions to assess,
 
17           evaluate, and educate children with special needs.
 
18           Currently, there are no such provisions.
 
19      The legislature finds that the board of education (BOE) and
 
20 the department of education (DOE) have praised the immersion
 
21 program for its level of parental involvement and the immersion
 
22 program has served as a model to other native language programs.
 

 
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 1 However, the development of curriculum, providing both pre-
 
 2 service and inservice teacher training and providing for the
 
 3 physical as well as the educational needs of the students and
 
 4 their families has proven to be a task bigger than anyone
 
 5 anticipated.  Also, funding to support these activities, which
 
 6 are essential to assure the success of Ka Papahana Kaiapuni
 
 7 Hawai`i, has not been forthcoming.
 
 8      House concurrent resolution no.  281 also called for the
 
 9 development of an operational and financial plan for the Hawaiian
 
10 language immersion program.  The plan was developed by the DOE
 
11 with input from the 'Aha Kauleo, the advisory council for the
 
12 Hawaiian language immersion program and other community members.
 
13 Critical issues were identified as:
 
14      (1)  Providing appropriate facilities and transportation;
 
15      (2)  Ensuring qualified personnel through preservice
 
16           training;
 
17      (3)  Ensuring qualified personnel and supporting classroom
 
18           instruction; 
 
19      (4)  Achieving quality curriculum;
 
20      (5)  Meeting special needs;
 
21      (6)  Encouraging parent involvement; and
 
22      (7)  Enabling local governance.
 

 
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 1      The pre-service training needs of the Hawaiian language
 
 2 immersion teachers are unique because the "language" of teaching
 
 3 is not necessarily part of their typical Hawaiian language
 
 4 experience.  Also, teaching exclusively in a language that is not
 
 5 necessarily the teachers' first language poses some unique
 
 6 challenges to the teacher training program.  Therefore, teacher
 
 7 training programs, conducted in the Hawaiian language and
 
 8 incorporating both Hawaiian "teacher talk" as well as content
 
 9 area vocabulary, are essential.  Teaching methods must be based
 
10 upon Hawaiian cultural values as well as reflect the importance
 
11 of providing a varied language experience to the student, who, in
 
12 many cases, may not have access to the Hawaiian language in any
 
13 other area of life.  Also, because the program is spread
 
14 throughout the islands, training programs must be accessible to
 
15 potential teachers where they live and will work.  Experienced
 
16 immersion teachers must be available to both train and mentor new
 
17 teachers in order to assure the perpetuation of quality teaching
 
18 in all immersion classrooms.
 
19      The legislature finds that in order to encourage parent
 
20 learning and use of the Hawaiian language, there needs to be
 
21 support in developing innovative ways of bringing language to the
 
22 parents.  Television  or video classes, outdoor activities, and
 

 
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 1 cultural events are alternatives to the normal adult classroom
 
 2 language experience.
 
 3      The legislature further finds that the Hawaiian language
 
 4 immersion program is a special education program within the DOE.
 
 5 It is incumbent on the DOE to meet the needs of all students
 
 6 including those with special needs.  Hawaiian language
 
 7 proficient, special education-trained teachers are currently non-
 
 8 existent.  Some immersion students currently attend special
 
 9 education classes in English.  This is not conducive to either
 
10 English or Hawaiian language learning.  There is a critical need
 
11 for special education-trained, Hawaiian language proficient
 
12 teachers at all immersion sites.
 
13      Since the 1993-1994 fiscal year, there has been no increase
 
14 in program funding although the number of students enrolled in
 
15 the immersion program has doubled.  The per-student allocation
 
16 for the Immersion program has actually decreased by $1,000 since
 
17 the program's funding peak in 1991-1992 when the per-student
 
18 allocation was $1,845.  Because there are little or no materials
 
19 available in the Hawaiian language and teacher pre-service and
 
20 inservice training programs must also be created, the additional
 
21 program funding allow for the support or all program
 
22 requirements.  The additional program funds also allowed for the
 

 
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 1 purchase of equipment to allow students and teachers access to
 
 2 resources to both produce and share materials and information for
 
 3 classroom use.
 
 4      The legislature also finds that the 1997 legislature passed
 
 5 house concurrent resolution no. 281 which called for the
 
 6 development of an operational and financial plan for the Hawaiian
 
 7 language immersion program.  The plan was developed by the DOE
 
 8 with input from the `Aha Kauleo, the advisory council for the
 
 9 Hawaiian language immersion program and other community members.
 
10 Critical issues were identified as:
 
11      (1)  Providing appropriate facilities and transportation;
 
12      (2)  Ensuring qualified personnel through preservice
 
13           training;
 
14      (3)  Ensuring qualified personnel and supporting classroom
 
15           instruction;
 
16      (4)  Achieving quality curriculum;
 
17      (5)  Meeting special needs;
 
18      (6)  Encouraging parent involvement; and
 
19      (7)  Enabling local governance.
 
20      A plan that includes performance standards and appropriate
 
21 curriculum, instruction, and assessment is basic to any
 
22 educational program.  Because of its uniqueness, the Hawaiian
 

 
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 1 language immersion program must rely on its own resources to
 
 2 create quality curricula and related instructional materials.
 
 3 Commercial materials are limited.  The Hawaiian language
 
 4 immersion program must create learning materials that enable
 
 5 students to meet high expectations for quality performance, sound
 
 6 language acquisition, and cultural revitalization.
 
 7      Student performance is dependent on classroom experience
 
 8 provided by a high-quality, professional teaching staff, with
 
 9 available high quality instructional materials and personal
 
10 commitment.  The in-service immersion teacher is not only a role
 
11 model for appropriate Hawaiian language and cultural practice,
 
12 but is also one of the major developers of materials used in the
 
13 classroom.  Because the teacher is often the student's sole adult
 
14 language role model, small class size is necessary to allow for
 
15 maximum teacher/student interaction.  It is also imperative that
 
16 we support the in-service immersion teacher by providing on-going
 
17 Hawaiian language training as well as providing access to new
 
18 teaching methods and curriculum.  The immersion teachers have the
 
19 primary responsibility of making the immersion philosophy come
 
20 alive for our students.
 
21      Lastly, in order to assure a Hawaiian language environment
 
22 for the Hawaiian language immersion student, school facilities
 

 
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 1 should, ideally, be separate from those of the English
 
 2 mainstream.  Separate K-12 sites foster not only language
 
 3 fluency, but `ohana relationships between students and teachers.
 
 4 It is a place where family involvement is encouraged and where
 
 5 culturally appropriate practices are the rule rather than the
 
 6 exception.  At program sites where immersion exists within the
 
 7 context of the English medium schools, facilities should be
 
 8 maintained and be made conducive to the immersion philosophy as
 
 9 much as possible.  The immersion program should be accessible to
 
10 all who want to make Hawaiian their language of education but
 
11 where that is not possible, transportation to the school site be
 
12 provided.
 
13      SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
14 revenues of the State of Hawaii $       or so much thereof as may
 
15 be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 for the maintenance and
 
16 expansion of the Hawaiian language immersion program, Ka Papahana
 
17 Kaiapuni Hawai`i.  The funds shall be used to:
 
18      (1)  Create a Hawaiian language immersion framework based on
 
19           the standards for culture-based content and performance
 
20           established and enforced by the board of education;
 
21      (2)  Generate program support within the communities of
 
22           individual sites as well as throughout the State;
 

 
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 1      (3)  Provide grants to each immersion site for the
 
 2           development of parent involvement activities, including
 
 3           the development and distribution of a parent handbook;
 
 4      (4)  Establish a resource of knowledgeable teachers to
 
 5           coordinate and produce curriculum materials for
 
 6           classroom as well as state-wide use;
 
 7      (5)  Provide teacher release time, sabbaticals, and
 
 8           additional positions for in-service training,
 
 9           instructing and mentoring new teachers, and improving
 
10           student-to-teacher ratios to twenty-to-one at all grade
 
11           levels;
 
12      (6)  Provide transportation subsidies until the department
 
13           of education can develop guidelines for the
 
14           transportation of students;
 
15      (7)  Develop specialized certification programs for
 
16           immersion teachers in conjunction with the University
 
17           of Hawaii;
 
18      (8)  Create a resource library of materials covering
 
19           subjects such as immersion, general education, Hawaiian
 
20           language, culture, and history;
 
21      (9)  Provide access to resources available through the use
 
22           of new technologies;
 

 
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 1     (10)  Develop and support secondary programs and new
 
 2           immersion sites;
 
 3     (11)  Study the feasibility of providing access to immersion
 
 4           education at all public schools across the State; and
 
 5     (12)  Develop special education services, evaluation tools,
 
 6           and training for teachers in special education methods.
 
 7      SECTION 3.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
 8 department of education for the purpose of this Act.
 
 9      SECTION 4.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
10 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $590,000 or so much
 
11 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 for
 
12 supporting pre-service teacher training for the Hawaiian language
 
13 immersion program, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawai`i, in the public
 
14 school system as follows:
 
15      (1)  Development of specialized immersion teacher
 
16           certification by providing grants to University of
 
17           Hawaii campuses;
 
18      (2)  Providing on-going recruitment and tuition waivers for
 
19           pre-service immersion teachers; and
 
20      (3)  Provide sabbaticals for inservice teachers to serve as
 
21           mentors and instructors for new teacher cohorts.
 

 
 
 
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 1      SECTION 5.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
 2 department of education for the purposes of this Act.
 
 3      SECTION 6.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
 4 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $55,970 or so much
 
 5 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 for
 
 6 providing support services for parents and families of students
 
 7 in the Hawaiian language for the Hawaiian language immersion
 
 8 program, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawai`i, in the public school
 
 9 system as follows:
 
10      (1)  Provide funds through a grant process for each
 
11           immersion site to develop parent involvement
 
12           activities;
 
13      (2)  Create a parent handbook that includes generic
 
14           information regarding the Hawaiian language immersion
 
15           program for parents at all immersion sites; and
 
16      (3)  Create a resource library of materials regarding
 
17           immersion information, general education, Hawaiian
 
18           culture and language, and Hawaiian history.
 
19      SECTION 7.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
20 department of education for the purposes of this Act.
 
21      SECTION 8.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
22 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $662,200 or so much
 

 
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 1 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 for
 
 2 providing special education services in the Hawaiian language for
 
 3 the Hawaiian language immersion program, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni
 
 4 Hawai`i, in the public school system as follows:
 
 5      (1)  Development of special education evaluation tools in
 
 6           the Hawaiian language;
 
 7      (2)  Provision of inservice teachers with training in
 
 8           special education methodology;
 
 9      (3)  Provision of special education positions for Hawaiian
 
10           language immersion students, allocated separate from
 
11           those for English medium students; and
 
12      (4)  Provision of tuition waivers for dual teacher
 
13           certification (Immersion education and special
 
14           education).
 
15      SECTION 9.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
16 department of education for the purposes of this Act.
 
17      SECTION 10.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
18 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,652,000 or so much
 
19 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 for a
 
20 $1,000 per student allocation to establish a basis for support of
 
21 the Hawaiian language immersion program, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni
 
22 Hawai`i, in the public school system as follows:
 

 
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 1      (1)  Provide funds to create materials for classroom use
 
 2           both at individual immersion sites and at the state
 
 3           level;
 
 4      (2)  Provide pre-service and inservice opportunities to
 
 5           strengthen Hawaiian language and teaching skills to
 
 6           support student achievement; 
 
 7      (3)  Create a Hawaiian language immersion program framework
 
 8           based on the Hawaii content and performance standards;
 
 9           and
 
10      (4)  Provide other program support.
 
11      SECTION 11.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
12 department of education for the purposes of this Act.
 
13      SECTION 12.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
14 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,261,700 or so much
 
15 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 for
 
16 supporting curriculum development for the Hawaiian language
 
17 immersion program, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawai`i, in the public
 
18 school system as follows:
 
19      (1)  Create a Hawaiian language immersion framework based on
 
20           the Hawai`i content and performance standards and
 
21           including Hawaiian culture-based content;
 

 
 
 
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 1      (2)  Provide teacher release time and additional teacher
 
 2           positions to support curriculum development at
 
 3           individual immersion sites;
 
 4      (3)  Provide state level resource teachers who will
 
 5           coordinate site-based curriculum development and
 
 6           facilitate as well as produce materials for state-wide
 
 7           program use; and
 
 8      (4)  Provide funding to allow for access to technology and
 
 9           the resources available through technology.
 
10      SECTION 13.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
11 department of education for the purposes of this Act.
 
12      SECTION 14.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
13 revenues of the State of Hawai`i the sum of $449,000 or so much
 
14 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 for
 
15 providing on-going inservice teacher support for the Hawaiian
 
16 language immersion program, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawai`i, in the
 
17 public school system as follows:
 
18      (1)  Provide sufficient staff to lower student/teacher ratio
 
19           to 20/1 in immersion program sites grades K through 12;
 
20      (2)  Allow for teacher release time so that inservice
 
21           immersion teachers can participate in training to
 
22           improve instruction; and
 

 
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 1      (3)  Study the feasibility and necessity for providing
 
 2           access to immersion education in all public schools in
 
 3           all facilities.
 
 4      SECTION 15.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
 5 department of education for the purposes of this Act.
 
 6      SECTION 16.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
 7 revenues of the State of Hawaii, the sum of $622,401 or so much
 
 8 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 for the
 
 9 development of facilities and providing transportation for the
 
10 Hawaiian language immersion program, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni
 
11 Hawai`i, in the public school system as follows:
 
12      (1)  Develop secondary programs by providing $5,000 per
 
13           secondary grade level per site;
 
14      (2)  Adequately fund new immersion sites in existing English
 
15           medium schools by providing $18,000 per new site to
 
16           fund a part-time teacher and start up supplies; and
 
17      (3)  Provide transportation subsidies until guidelines can
 
18           be developed to allow for the department of education
 
19           to provide transportation for immersion students.
 
20      SECTION 17.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
21 department of education for the purposes of this Act.
 
22      SECTION 18.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 1999.
 
23 
 
24                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________